As omicron cases surge, school districts across McHenry and Kane counties continue to face challenges
MCHENRY COUNTY – With the news of Chicago Public Schools, the country’s third-largest school district, making headlines for remaining closed due to a dispute with the Chicago Teachers Union about COVID-19 safety protocols, it may come as no surprise that other local school districts are facing their own set of challenges due to the ongoing pandemic.
Algonquin-based Community School District 300 (D300) Superintendent Susan Harkin advised parents and guardians that students would not be returning to class after winter break as intended on Jan. 3 due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Despite having to take a “non-instructional day” that will have to be made up later in April, students were able to return to class the following day.
“The District has seen an increase in its staff absences due to COVID. Fortunately, we have been able to cover those absences to return students to in-person instruction,” Harkin said in a statement.
Woodstock-based Community Unit School District 200 (D200) was able to welcome students back on Jan. 3, however, there was some confusion regarding the isolation and quarantine periods.
“Our District Health Department is in regular communication with our state and local health departments. Due to the significant effects of the changes for the general public, we sought to clarify if schools were considered part of the general public and believed we were included in the general public and communicated as such,” explained Erica Loiacono, the director of communications for D200.
Loiacono added, “After sending our communication [to families], the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) issued a statement indicating that schools are not considered part of the general public and that we are to continue following previously issued IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health) Guidance for Schools.”
The confusion was concerning the new guidance the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released late last month recommending that the time periods for both isolation and quarantine be shortened to five days for members of the general public.
State Superintendent Carmen Ayala sent out a statement earlier this month, explaining that schools were to continue to follow IDPH’s COVID-19 School Guidance calling for 14-day isolation and quarantine periods that aligned with the CDC’s recommendation for schools at the time.
On Jan. 6, however, the CDC updated their K-12 school guidance now recommending five-day quarantine and isolation periods for students and staff, followed by continued masking for an additional five days.
“IDPH and ISBE plan to align with this guidance and will release updated guidance soon,” said ISBE on Jan. 7. “The CDC made these changes to reflect accumulating evidence that demonstrates that the majority of transmission occurs during the early periods of infection. Combined with continued adherence to universal indoor masking and highly effective vaccines, these changes will allow more students to stay safely in person.”
In response to ISBE’s latest update, Huntley Community School District 158 (D158) Superintendent Scott Rowe told district families that he hopes those changes will help mitigate some of the hardships D158 is experiencing due to COVID-19 positivity rates.
“This is an eagerly awaited step forward and one we hope will provide a significant impact on the time our students and staff are able to regain in our classrooms. In the interest of avoiding unnecessary adjustments for our staff and ensuring that we are acting in our staff and students’ best interests, we will not make any immediate changes to our procedures until the state releases their most up-to-date guidance,” said Rowe in a Jan. 7 statement. “As soon as IDPH and ISBE release their revised guidance for schools, we will communicate our plan with families. This will include details regarding the Test to Stay strategy, any further changes to our quarantine and isolation practices, and a revised return to school timeline for students and staff currently in isolation or quarantine.”
Rowe reiterated that the district will continue making strategic changes as needed to combat bus driver shortages and staff absences.
Staffing shortages have not come easy for other local school districts like that of Elgin Area School Unit 46 (U46), which was forced to close five of their elementary schools on Jan. 4, though they were able to re-open all of those schools by Jan. 6.
However, on Jan. 7, U46 had to close one preschool program and two other elementary schools, again, due to staffing shortages. Despite some setbacks, all U46 schools are now open as of Jan. 10.
“Our Health Services Department and Human Resources spent the weekend clearing staff members who had been in quarantine using the updated guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health,” said U46 Superintendent Tony Sanders. “We will continue to monitor our data, and collaborate with our local health departments, as we make decisions regarding any classroom or school closings.”
The McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) has also aligned its guidance to match the CDC’s updated quarantine and isolation recommendation for the general public but is still working on updating its school guidance.
“While the recommended time for quarantine and isolation time is changing for some, McHenry County is experiencing another surge in COVID-19 cases that is being driven mostly by the highly transmissible Delta and Omicron variants,” said MCDH Public Health Administrator Melissa Adamson. “Individuals can help curb further spread by getting tested for COVID-19, isolating and quarantining appropriately, and getting vaccinated or boosted if they are eligible but haven’t done so.”
