Dear School Families,
I hope this message finds you and your family enjoying a blessed Advent as we look forward to the celebration of Christmas. I think you may agree that this is the most joyous season of the year.
Now in our third school year impacted by COVID, you also may be frustrated by this persistent pandemic. Our principals, teachers, and staff tell me that this continues to be a difficult school year.
During my visits to schools, some principals have told me that their school community has chosen to focus on the blessings available to them, including the opportunity to be together in school in person. They have pointed out that the things that are frustrating – masks, spacing, contract tracing – are the very things that enable them to enjoy the blessing of being together safely in person. How wise.
Because of the delta variant, COVID cases in our area have been increasing dramatically over the past month. With holiday travel and gatherings upon us, this is not the time to let our guard down. We have been here before and we know what to do:
- Get vaccinated. With 5 - 11-year-old children able to receive a Pfizer COVID vaccine, discuss this option with your child’s pediatrician or family doctor. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 vaccination for all children and adolescents 5 years of age and older who do not have contraindications. Older children and adults who are not yet vaccinated can also protect themselves and others by getting vaccinated. The CDC reports that fully vaccinated individuals are 5 times less likely to be infected and 10 times less likely to be hospitalized. While there is no requirement for our students to receive the COVID vaccination during the 2021-2022 school year, getting immunized is a safe, effective way of keeping your student healthy and minimizing the severity of symptoms if he or she were to test positive. Additionally, if your student is fully vaccinated with a vaccination record on file with the school, he or she does not have to quarantine as a close contact.
- Commit to positive behaviors outside of school. While our in-school protocols and mitigation efforts are strong, activities outside of school can spread COVID-19 among students, families, and ultimately other classmates. We are aware of whole class quarantines that appear to have been caused by students who gathered in large numbers, outside of school and unmasked. Now that we are in the holiday season and engaged in more indoor activities, we need a concerted effort in order to keep everyone healthy and to maintain uninterrupted in-person learning for every student.
Athletics and Quarantines
The current increase in COVID-19 cases has been especially pronounced around indoor athletics, as many participants either socialize before/after events or only loosely follow mask requirements. This dynamic, coupled with the higher-risk nature of indoor, close contact athletic competitions, has led our COVID-19 Task Force to implement the following quarantine policy:
- If a member of a team tests positive for COVID-19, then everyone on the team is considered a close contact.
- Each unvaccinated close contact must quarantine for 10 days (or 7 days with a negative test on/after day 6).*
- Vaccinated team members who do not experience any symptoms do not have to quarantine.
*Oak Park health department currently requires a 14-day quarantine.
As a reminder, all participants and spectators of indoor sporting events must wear masks at all times.
The joy our students are experiencing this school year is worth the effort we take to wear a mask while indoors, use hand sanitizer while in public, and maintain physical distance when possible. Let’s make sure we can keep it going for them.
Peace,
Greg Richmond
Superintendent of Schools
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