August 24, 2021
Hello Hollis Hawks,
The first week has been completed, and what an amazing first week it was! It was so great to see all of our students and staff members back in the building together.
We wanted to communicate the interim guidance we have received to inform you of what has been common symptom situations in the early going. This link will provide the most current information for what we are currently using until the most up-to-date decision tree is published. It was supposed to be published on the first Friday in August. We are still waiting on the latest guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
We are experiencing students who have been in close contact with people with Covid-19 symptoms, but no positive cases thus far. The most common situation right now is a student who has symptoms (congestion, sore throat, stomachache, etc). Feel free to read the interim guidance for yourself and ask questions. Currently, the biggest takeaway for us is that staff and students who are experiencing symptoms need to get a covid test within 24 hours of the symptom onset. This applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. When the test comes back negative and the symptoms subside, individuals can return to school. Siblings of close contact are not excluded from school as long as the symptomatic sibling gets a covid test within 24 hours of symptom onset. Additionally, the close contact sibling must remain symptom-free.
Remote learning is only available for students who must quarantine for 10-14 days. Students who are awaiting an alternate diagnosis or testing results will be marked as excused, and makeup work will be provided through communication with the teacher.
This guidance is better than last year in terms of keeping students in the building for in-person learning, but we recognize it is still confusing. We continue to ask for everyone’s patience and understanding as we navigate another school year in a pandemic. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.
We will continue to update you as more information becomes available.
Sincerely,
Chad Jones
Superintendent
Alisha Schoedel
Assistant Principal