OLCHS Unveils COVID-19 Mitigation Plan For 2021-2022

Oak Lawn IL

27 July, 2021

11:30 PM

Description

OAK LAWN, IL — Oak Lawn Community High School is planned a full return to school next month. A town hall will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 2 in the Performing Arts Center to review the high school's fall mitigation plan. Recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois Department of Public Health supports the full opening of schools across the state. The first day of school at OLCHS for all students is Aug. 18. A school email from Dist. 229 Supt. Dr. Michael Riordan shared with Patch asks families to share if their student is fully vaccinated via Skyward Family Access, to more effectively address contact tracing and quarantine monitoring. Children age 12 and up are now eligible to receive the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. >>> Rise In COVID Cases May Force Schools To Rethink Mask Guidelines Currently, CDC COVID-19 guidance for schools allows schools to lift mask requirements indoors for students, teachers and staff who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Schools may decide where and how masking fits with their mitigation strategies. People become "fully vaccinated" against COVID-19 two weeks after their final dose of vaccine. The CDC says those who are not vaccination SHOULD wear a mask while indoors at school. "At this time, we are very fortunate that the spread of the virus in our community is very low, which will allow us to modify our safety mitigation measures," Riordan said in his email to parents. "However, please understand that if the COVID metrics were to increase and/or the CDC and IDPH modify the guidance for schools, we will need to elevate our mitigation measures." On Tuesday, the CDC changed its masking recommendations that would require vaccinated residents to mask up indoors over concerns about the Delta variant of COVID-19. Yet as numbers rise, state health officials have not indicated whether they will announce more-stringent masking guidelines for students as schools prepare to open. The high school's mitigation measures may change if conditions warrant, Riordan said. Enhanced mitigation measures that could be implemented in the future may include mask mandates, COVID testing, daily symptom certification, and stricter adherence to distance requirements Some key elements of the OLCHS safety mitigation strategy for the 2021-22 school year outlined in Riordan's email to families include: A return to an in-person, standard 10-period school day, including lunch served in our cafeteria. A return to full in-person, regularly scheduled extracurricular programs, such as clubs, sports and activities. We join health experts in strongly encouraging people to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination locations and resources are available at this link. In accordance with guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health, unvaccinated individuals should wear masks that cover their nose and mouth while indoors. Fully vaccinated staff and students may choose to wear a mask, but it is not required. While the CDC and IDPH note that unvaccinated individuals should wear masks indoors, the guidance is not a mandate for schools to require individuals to wear masks. Given the current COVID-19 metrics in our community, masks will not be mandated at this time. The requirements for masks could change if our area sees an increase in cases or the guidance from the Cook County Health Department, IDPH, or CDC changes. All students and staff while riding buses or other school vehicles will be required to wear masks. We will adhere to 3-foot social distancing as much as possible throughout the day, including in classrooms and common areas. Students and staff should self monitor any symptoms for signs of illness each day. Anyone who is not feeling well should stay home. Students and staff will be expected to adhere to handwashing and appropriate social distancing. We will continue to adhere to CDC mitigation guidelines for ventilation in our buildings. COVID-19 testing is readily available throughout the community, including from doctors, pharmacies and the Cook County Health Department. We will continue to share resources with the community to be sure individuals who need or want testing are aware of resources. If a student is medically ineligible/unable to attend school, parents/guardians can work with their medical doctor to apply for homebound instruction. The Illinois State Board of Education's application form is available here. We will follow local health department guidelines and enforce quarantine requirements to prevent a spread of the virus among students and staff. (Fully vaccinated individuals are generally exempt from quarantine in most cases.) If a student is quarantined, their teacher will provide them with lessons and instructional materials via Canvas, our learning management system, and increased tutoring will be available. In other announcements, the high school is waiving the general registration fee of $365 for the 2021-2022 school year, including $6 hallway lock. Drivers education and graduation fees are not included in the waiver. OLCHS will continue to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students through its food service management company, K-12 by Elior, under the Seamless Summer Option program. Although applications are not required to receive free or reduced meals at school, families are encouraged to complete the application to be eligible for More information about Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits. Applications can be found within Skyward Family Access or by completing the paper application at this link. P-EBT provides benefits to families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals under an approved USDA meal service program. More information on P-EBT is available here.