Dear District 30 Family,
I hope that this communication finds you doing well! Northbrook / Glenview School District 30 is preparing for a smooth transition to five days of in-person instruction this fall while following critical health and safety guidelines from the state. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) declared on July 9 that school districts must resume full in-person learning for all students this fall. No emergency order nor ISBE mandate exists for Districts to offer fully remote learning.
Safe in-person learning at Wescott’s K-5, Willowbrook’s PreK-5, & Maple’s 6-8 schools will remain our goal. How we do so will undoubtedly continue to evolve throughout the next weeks and months, and our current plans to start classes on September 2 (September 3 for Kindergarten) are outlined below.
What we currently know about the fall:
- Returning to schedules for five days a week of in-person instruction
- Rotating through classes will occur with set seating charts
- Resuming athletics & activities
- Using hallway lockers
- Sharing materials to resume
- Providing instructional options for students while they are under quarantine consistent with local and state health guidance
Students who are quarantined with COVID-19 will be provided a connection to their classes through a combination of live-streamed broadcasts of their classes and access to materials and lessons through our learning management systems (Seesaw or Schoology). This solution will look different at different grade levels. Students who are absent for extended periods of time (e.g., recovering from surgery) will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Students who are absent due to travel or other illness will not be eligible for these instructional options.
Additional planning includes:
- Working on Board Goal 2 that incorporates social-emotional support that responds to COVID-19 impacts, including establishing routines and services to assist students in their return to school as we leverage phased operations lessons and continue our focus on academic growth
- Hiring three additional Instructors to ensure 3’ between students within classrooms
- Installing bipolar ionization systems in every classroom univent and air handler across all District 30 buildings
Mitigation strategies are directed by CDC school health guidance the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) adopted and those from the Cook County Department of Public Health titled Guidance for Suburban Cook County School Districts that include IDPH’s alignment with the CDC’s universal masking regardless of vaccination status. In line with guidance, District 30’s mitigation strategies for this fall include:
- Encouraging COVID-19 vaccination of all eligible students and staff while voluntarily collecting vaccination verification for all students eligible for vaccination to receive the close contact exemption
- Requiring universal masking indoors and on school transportation for all individuals with optional masking outdoors for recess and mask breaks
- Maintaining social distancing of 3’ whenever possible in classrooms
- Maintaining safe distancing (6’ for students) for lunch while eating unmasked
- Implementing weekly in-school COVID-19 SHIELD saliva testing provided by the state of Illinois for monitoring and athletics/activities
- Continuing hand hygiene practices (frequent hand washing & sanitizer)
- Supplying fresh air through ventilation systems
- Implementing close contact tracing for K-12 in the indoor classroom setting that excludes students who were within 3 to 6’ of an infected individual if both unvaccinated students were engaged in the consistent and correct use of well-fitting masks
- Continuing a self-certification process through Ruvna
- Note: Self-certification will include questions related to CCDPH’s Travel Guidance and that an unvaccinated individual may shorten the ten-day quarantine requirement by producing a negative molecular COVID-19 test (e.g., PCR test) within three days of returning home after traveling to states on Cook County’s Travel Advisory list
- Tracking local COVID-19 community transmission rates
As has been the case throughout this pandemic, mitigation strategies could change as health recommendations and metrics evolve. As plans evolve, District 30’s Return to School website will be updated. Please share questions you have on our D30 2021-22 Opening of School Question Form and utilize our website for additional information about this school year. Also, look for school-specific operational information from each building principal as plans are finalized.
In addition to all of our efforts for the upcoming year, our Elementary Capacity Project continues to progress well, generating eight additional classrooms and a gym at Wescott. The old Wescott gym has been converted into new music and art rooms and a connecting hallway. We are also modernizing Willowbrook’s library, and creating flexible space in both elementary buildings. We are excited to align kindergarten with our neighborhood school philosophy!
Also, if you have availability next year or know of talented individuals, please consider applying for open District 30 Instructional Assistant and lunch positions that will help us throughout the year. Apply online!
We are looking forward to the 2021-22 School Year! We are fortunate to live in a highly vaccinated community that is committed to each other. All that we have learned will continue to serve us well, and we will reach the end of this pandemic together. Although we are not there yet, what we have already overcome demonstrates our resiliency.
Warmly,
Dr. Brian K. Wegley
Superintendent
