Dear District 58 Families and Staff,
I hope you are all enjoying your summer and that everyone has had the opportunity to relax and connect with family and friends. District 58 staff are busy preparing for the upcoming school year and we are excited for the first day of school, which is a little under a month away. The District is in a very good position to start the school year. Unlike last year, all students will attend in-person five days a week. The school day will closely resemble what we were all accustomed to prior to the pandemic.
Over the past two weeks the Board of Education and I have received several emails regarding the reopening of schools. The overwhelming majority of the emails received have centered on mask wearing. There have been passionate views shared on both sides of this issue and no matter what the ultimate decision will be, there will be individuals that are pleased and others that are not. We have been faced with many tough decisions throughout the pandemic. I am very proud of our community and staff for always coming together after decisions are made to support our students.
I recognize that many would like to have all of the final details released right away. However, our team needs to ensure that we have had the opportunity to thoroughly review all of the information from the various federal and state agencies prior to moving forward. Having the right plan is much more important than having a quick plan. Last evening, we received additional guidance and clarification from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Below is a summary of guidance that the District has received:
7/9/21 - Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools
7/9/21 - IDPH Press Release on CDC Guidance
7/10/21 - Clarifying Mask Guidance (ISBE)
7/20/21 - DCHD Statement on COVID-19 Prevention Strategies in Schools July 20, 2021
As I have shared before, previous guidance received to date has left many more questions than answers. Please note the recently released FAQ document may not answer all the District’s questions, but it will greatly assist our team as we finalize the plan for the upcoming school year. Now that we have this document, the District will finalize the plan in the coming weeks.
District 58’s goal has always been to start the school year as close to normal as possible given the constraints of the pandemic. While guidance is still coming in, I am pleased to report that next school year will look similar to what it did prior to the pandemic. The updated guidance states that physical distancing cannot be a barrier to in-person instruction and school districts only have to seat students three feet apart when possible. This means that our schools can once again reclaim common areas like gyms, libraries, multi-purpose rooms, and cafeterias and not use them for classroom space. This will allow for a return to in-person “specials” (art, music, physical education, library) at the elementary schools, music programs (band, choir, orchestra), clubs and activities at all levels, and sports at the middle school level. There will not be a remote instructional option like last year, which will free up our staff to operate more efficiently. However, the District’s standard home and hospital instruction procedures will be in place as always. We will continue mitigation strategies used in the past, such as contact tracing, quarantining, hand washing, disinfecting, symptom monitoring, and symptom care. We are also exploring voluntary testing to assist families and staff. We will continue to ensure people are treated with respect in regards to their individuality and beliefs. Bullying or any form of harassment will not be tolerated.
At this time, for those middle school students that are 12 years of age and older, my recommendation to the Board will be that masks will not be mandatory as they have had the opportunity to be vaccinated, which is the best form of mitigation. For those that are not vaccinated, the District strongly encourages and recommends mask wearing in conjunction with the CDC, IDPH, and DCHD. The District will allow anyone to wear a mask if they prefer, regardless of vaccination status. This recommendation is in line with District 99 as well as neighboring districts for those students that are 12 years of age or older. This recommendation is subject to change in the event the District receives additional information and/or guidance from local, state, or federal agencies.
With regard to mask wearing for elementary students, the District is still reviewing the guidance, local transmission levels, and processing information with staff and working groups. I am not ready to make a final recommendation to the Board for elementary students at this time for the reasons shared above. The District needs more time to review the guidance, our mitigation strategies, quarantine protocols, and potential voluntary testing procedures. Please note school does not start until August 26, 2021 and there is time. The District’s working groups will continue to plan for the upcoming school year and will share the final plan with the community at the August Board meeting.
As always, we value your input and feedback. If there are questions or topics you want to be sure are addressed as the plan gets finalized, we invite you to submit them by filling out this form. The District will closely review and monitor this form and we respectfully ask that you share your feedback here versus email. Our administrative team will review your input and take it into consideration as we prepare to share the final details of the opening of school.
Thank you in advance for your continued support and partnership.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kevin B. Russell
Superintendent of Schools