Dear District 58 Families,
This evening (at approximately 6:30 p.m.), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released its updated joint guidance for schools. The new guidance is in line with the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This new guidance reduces the minimum length of quarantine/exclusion under specific situations for students and staff who are close contacts or recovering from COVID-19 to five days. The IDPH/ISBE also updated the definition of a close contact.
We are currently reviewing the new IDPH/ISBE guidance. Additionally, we are also reviewing all students and staff who are currently isolated/excluded based on their status as a close contact or as a positive case. We will be reaching out to families and staff as soon as possible to review the dates individuals are eligible to return. Please be patient as we process these records, and we will work as quickly as possible.
This evening’s announcement does not change the state of Illinois’ mask requirement for anyone inside school buildings. The Governor’s indoor mask mandate for schools is still in effect until further notice.
As always, if an individual is running a fever or is still displaying symptoms, he or she should continue to isolate. I greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we move through these changes and challenging times together.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kevin Russell
Superintendent of Schools