* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is fully adopting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Kindergarten (K)-12 Schools released today.
“Our goal is to protect the health of students, teachers, and staff so that in-person learning can resume as safely as possible,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “The CDC is right: vaccination is the best preventive strategy. As school board members, parents, teachers and superintendents plan for a return to in-person learning in the fall, we strongly encourage those who are not vaccinated to continue to mask. IDPH is proud to fully adopt school guidance issued by CDC, which is based on the latest scientific information about COVID-19.”
The updated school guidance now aligns with guidance for fully vaccinated people, which allows activities to resume for fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask except where required by federal, state, and local rules and regulations.
Major elements of the updated guidance include:
• Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated.
• CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking.
• Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.
• Many schools serve children under the age of 12 who are not eligible for vaccination at this time. Therefore, this guidance emphasizes implementing layered prevention strategies (masking, distancing, testing) to protect people who are not fully vaccinated.
Schools and communities should monitor community transmission of COVID-19, vaccination coverage, screening testing, and outbreaks to guide decisions about on the level of layered prevention strategies being implemented.
State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala issued the following declaration mandating in-person learning with limited exceptions:
Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, all schools must resume fully in-person learning for all student attendance days, provided that, pursuant to 105 ILCS 5/10-30 and 105 ILCS 5/34-18.66, remote instruction be made available for students who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine or who are not eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, only while they are under quarantine consistent with guidance or requirements from a local public health department or the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“All our students deserve to return safely in-person to schools this fall,” said Dr. Ayala. “With vaccination rates continually rising and unprecedented federal funding to support safe in-person learning, and mitigations such as contact tracing and increased ventilation in place in schools, we are fully confident in the safety of in-person learning this fall. We look forward to a great school year and to the energy of Illinois’ young minds once again filling our school buildings.”
The updated school guidance can be found at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/school-guidance. This guidance is subject to change pursuant to changing public health conditions and updates from CDC.
*** UPDATE *** IEA…
The Illinois Education Association released the following statement attributable to IEA President Kathi Griffin:
“We are very excited that the Illinois Department of Public Health has decided to adopt the Centers for Disease Control’s guidance for schools. Both agencies are correct that vaccines are the best way to keep students and staff safe and for those who can’t get vaccinated, wearing a mask is the next best option. This news has been highly anticipated. Our members are looking forward to the start of this school year and now we have an idea of what the year will look like, and it is based on science, which is a great comfort.”
- Because I said so.... - Friday, Jul 9, 21 @ 1:20 pm:
It would be nice if IDPH would provide some guidance for higher education. Granted student housing makes things different but IDPH hasn’t even issued guidance for classroom spacing for H.E.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 9, 21 @ 1:21 pm:
===It would be nice if IDPH would provide some guidance for higher education===
They follow CDC.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Jul 9, 21 @ 1:22 pm:
The strong resistance to providing a remote option for anyone regardless of status, shows the strength of institutional momentum in our educational system.
I’ll hold out a little bit of hope that keeping the option, even if significantly limited to who can participate, is at least a starting point. But at this point I do see it as more likely to go away completely than be expanded in the future.
- Donnie Elgin - Friday, Jul 9, 21 @ 1:30 pm:
This is great news, finally a statewide scientific recommendation to open schools to in-person learning. Local School Boards now have a scientific basis for opening, they may use local procedures to best put the guidelines into action…
From IDPH
“Localities should monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening testing, and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on the level of layered prevention strategies”
- JS Mill - Friday, Jul 9, 21 @ 1:40 pm:
=This is great news, finally a statewide scientific recommendation to open schools to in-person learning.=
Most districts already were open. Some of the biggest weren’t, but most were.
So local districts can now police masking? Yeah right. Completely gutless on the IDPH,. but I guess this is what the 200 “local control” supts wanted.
Have fun.
- Medvale School for the Gifted. - Friday, Jul 9, 21 @ 2:00 pm:
- Have fun. -
What do you want IDOH to do, say it’s ok not to wear masks if you’re not vaccinated? It’s ok to get COVID and spread it, too?
Just what exactly do you recommend?
- JS Mill - Friday, Jul 9, 21 @ 2:13 pm:
=Just what exactly do you recommend?=
All students and staff should mask or require vaccinations. Policing the some mask and some don’t, when you cannot require proof is going to be a dumpster fire.
ISBE just issued a statement falling in line with the IDPH.
- Medvale School for the Gifted. - Friday, Jul 9, 21 @ 2:15 pm:
JS —
I was not clear on your point.
Agreed!
- Jocko - Friday, Jul 9, 21 @ 2:37 pm:
We are fully confident in the safety of in-person learning this fall…𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵.
Lord help any elementary student (and staff member who can’t/won’t be vaccinated) relying on the ‘honor system’ from fellow families.
- Wensicia - Friday, Jul 9, 21 @ 4:30 pm:
This is from the email sent to educators from the ISBE Office of the Superintendent:
Please review the CDC guidance thoroughly. I’ll highlight two major changes here that I know educators and families have been eager to hear:
1. Requiring masks only for individuals who are not fully vaccinated.
2. Recommending at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, but not if this would be a barrier to in-person learning.
“but not”