Superintendent's Message, Feb. 27, 2022

District 96 Community:

Yet another whirlwind series of events preceded a weekend for schools in Illinois.  

 

Update:  Court Decisions

  • Late on Friday, February 25, 2022, the Illinois Supreme Court issued a decision that it would not hear an appeal on the matters disposed of by the Fourth District Appellate Court earlier this month in the Sangamon County litigation.  
  • Nonetheless, the Supreme Court did simultaneously vacate Judge Grishow’s Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in that litigation.  The result:  the TRO entered on February 2, 2022, is no longer in effect.
  • Due to the additional actions below, the vacated TRO has little effect. 

 

Update: Release of Updated CDC Guidance

  • On Friday, the CDC released new metrics with which to determine community Covid-19 levels.
  • COVID-19 Community Levels are a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. People in identified areas should take precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 based on the COVID-19 Community Level in your area. 
  • Universal masking is no longer recommended in schools located in communities with low or medium community levels.
  • The CDC has also exercised its enforcement discretion to not require that people wear masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems.
  • A full explanation of the rationale for the changes can be found here. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/community-levels.html#anchor_82254  

 

Update:  State of Illinois

  • Based on the newly updated and released CDC metrics and guidance, Governor Pritzker, lifted the current Executive Order for masking in schools effective February 28, 2022.

 

What does this mean for District 96?

  • All District 96 schools and events are mask-optional.
  • As of Monday, February 28, 2022, masking on district transportation is optional.
  • If a student or staff member is exhibiting Covid-like symptoms, they should stay home.
  • School nurses' offices are considered health-care settings and thus, masking is required when in the nurse’s office.  Masks will be made available for students and staff, if needed, in this setting.
  • Only symptomatic individuals will be sent home.
  • All individuals with a Covid-positive test must continue to isolate for at least 5 days.
  • All other mitigation measures will remain in place.
  • Any updates or shifts based on updated guidance or metrics will be communicated.
  • Kindness, tolerance, and respect for each other is our top priority.

Given these updates and changes were coming within weeks, it saddens me that our school communities experienced such stress recently.  The good news is that our teachers and our students have done a phenomenal job of navigating sudden change, demonstrating resilience and flexibility.  Please talk with your student(s) about these updates, and, as always, we appreciate your partnership.

 

Regards,

~ Julie Schmidt, Superintendent of School