VVSD Employees Not Fully Vaccinated Now Getting Tested: Kinder

Romeoville IL

24 September, 2021

2:10 PM

Description

ROMEOVILLE, IL —Valley View School District (VVSD) 365U Superintendent Rachel Kinder said Thursday that the district is following the state of Illinois' new COVID-19 vaccine mandate for educators, and the district has revised its own health protocols relating to students showing signs of illness or being in contact with a student showing signs of illness. In a letter sent throughout the district and posted online, Kinder said that this week, the district began requiring and providing on-site COVID-19 testing for school personnel who are not fully vaccinated. According to an Executive Order by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, healthcare workers and teachers in Illinois were required to have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 20. The superintendent also said the district has revised its health protocols relating to a student's need to be excluded from school if they are symptomatic, exposed or positive. The revisions are based on guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Kinder said. "With the new guidance, we will have a greater ability to facilitate the return to school for students who were symptomatic or had a symptomatic sibling," Kinder said. The district now is accepting rapid antigen tests in addition to PCR tests for symptomatic individuals. However, the tests must be administered professionally and not at home. According to Kinder, students now must be fever free for 24 hours, without use of fever-reducing medication, and have no vomiting or diarrhea for 48 hours before returning to school. Additionally, siblings or household members of a student who is awaiting a test result do not need to go home as long as the symptomatic student is tested within 24 hours of symptom onset. The sibling or household member of the student awaiting a test does need to remain masked indoors and outdoors. Kinder also announced that the VVSD and IDPH will be teaming up to offer a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 2 at the VVSD Administration Center in Romeoville, 800 W. Normantown Rd. Appointments are not needed for the clinic, which will administer the Pfizer vaccine. The second dose will be given at the same location on Oct. 23. The superintendent also addressed the staffing challenges so many industries have faced recently. "So far in VVSD, we have been able to meet all our staffing needs," Kinder said. "But we have had to be creative and extremely flexible to do so, with many staff taking on an additional load to make this happen." One area in which the district has had to make some adjustments, according to Kinder, is in the the Transportation Department. "Our transportation team is doing an incredible job adapting to meet demands, despite not being fully staffed," Kinder said. "At times, there has been a need to condense routes or run double routes in some situations. We thank our students and families for their patience and understanding as we adjust." Kinder added: "We are continually monitoring the status so that we can be as prepared as possible, communicate when necessary and most importantly, transport our learners safely to school." Kinder also reminded parents that the district's Panorama Fall Survey will be available on the VVSD website from Sept. 27 to Oct. 8. "Your feedback is important to us and helps us to understand how well we are serving our families and our learners," Kinder said.