Dear District 30 Family,
Thank you for your continued partnership! We returned from break with in-person learning this week as recommended by the US Department of Education, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Illinois State Board of Education ( ISBE), and the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH).
Northfield schools continue to track COVID-19 rates in the community on our Northfield Township COVID-19 Elementary School Local Public Health Dashboard. These inform our mitigation strategies, but they are no longer the metrics that shift school districts into remote learning. We continue to respond to issues on a case-by-case and class-by-class basis. A few possibilities of shifts during this surge include:
Implementing Test-to-Stay (TTS) protocols for eligible students with a class with several non-epidemiologically linked COVID-19 cases.
We will also cover our classrooms by internally shifting personnel to support staff absences. When authorized by the administration, staff members on COVID-19 protocols may also broadcast into classrooms and continue teaching from home when asymptomatic or with mild COVID-19 symptoms.
We remain committed to in-person learning and will shift classrooms to remote instruction if we are so directed by the Cook County Department of Public Health.
Again, our firm commitment remains to continue in-person learning for all of our students as we support those in COVID-19 protocols. As we partner through this time, we will continue to be transparent and keep you informed every step of the way.
Included below are a few notes as we continue on this journey together:
- Our Shared Responsibility: With high COVID-19 rates in the community, a few reminders include:
- Over 91% of our students and most of our staff remain committed to weekly SHIELD testing which remains open to all vaccinated and unvaccinated students and staff. If you have previously opted out and want to opt into this testing, please email Ms. Lauren Schulman at lschulman@district30.org.
- As evident in our District 30 COVID-19 Case Dashboard, we are not surprised to see COVID-19 cases.
- Please continue to keep your students home if they are symptomatic or if required to quarantine due to close contact with a known COVID-19 case.
COVID-19 Booster Shots Approved for students 12-15: The CDC approved Booster Shots for 12-15 year-olds who are beyond five months from their initial vaccinations. Northfield Township has once again partnered with the Village of Northbrook to offer a booster clinic at the Grainger facility on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 17, 2022. We anticipate sending out clinic information and the registration link to grades to parents and guardians of students who qualify on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, at 7:00 p.m.
Additional COVID-19 Testing Sites & Task Force Communication: Knowing that testing remains challenging, our Glenview/Northbrook Task Force met again this week to continue coordinating responses and efforts. Please read the task force’s latest communication that reminds everyone about continuing COVID-19 testing at Flick Park and alerts our community to new testing availability at the former Arlington Park Racetrack and Glenbrook Hospital.
Operational Changes Due to High COVID-19 Rates: With the high COVID-19 rates we are experiencing, Northfield Township and our entire athletic conference have decided to continue our pause on athletic games next week. The primary rationale for this is to limit increased exposure with other teams and to keep our focus on in-person learning.
IDPH Directs Schools to Stay Current Course Temporarily after Adopting the New CDC Guidance on Reduced COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine Periods: IDPH has now adopted the new CDC Guidance reducing COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine periods. IDPH and ISBE continue to direct schools to temporarily follow our 10-day isolation and 14-day quarantine periods until they release school guidance. We will communicate when IDPH and ISBE provide school guidance and will shift our practices accordingly.
School Support: Please don’t hesitate to reach out for help through our teaching staff should the need arise. Remaining connected and accessing the many resources in our community is a strength.
Thank you for your continued support. We will get through this time together! We remain incredibly proud of our educators and students who continue meaningful learning amidst this spike in COVID-19 cases in our area and across our nation.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brian K. Wegley
Superintendent
