September 3, 2020
Dear Parents,
We wanted to take a moment to address a few things regarding contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine. If you have not reviewed the IDPH chart that we have posted as a resource, it contains the information we must use when dealing with confirmed or suspected COVID cases.
When there has been a positive case of COVID in a home, or a person is in close contact, they must quarantine for 14 days. The only exception to this is individuals who are isolating and have not been in contact with others since they became symptomatic or tested positive. The other residents (siblings, etc.) in the home of a close contact are considered a contact of a contact and do not quarantine unless there is a confirmed positive case.
According to the IDPH and the Kankakee County Health Department, we are unable to accept a doctor’s note or negative test before the 14 days of quarantine is completed. There may also be different quarantine times for each exposure that occurs, especially for caregivers. A release must be given for students to return after quarantine is completed.
Contact Tracing is a procedure that is used during the pandemic to limit the spread of the virus. If you are found to be in close contact with a confirmed case, you are required to quarantine for 14 days, even if you are showing no symptoms. This is a mandate by the IDPH and local health departments. It can be far reaching in communities. There should be no negative stigma attached to those who are in quarantine.
Please know that across the State of Illinois, there will be students who are moving to quarantine in larger numbers and those that are returning from quarantine throughout this school year. This is not a metric used in a district moving exclusively to remote learning. Any time there is a large social event where there is a positive case confirmed, whether that is a sporting event, wedding, party, etc. close contacts must quarantine. This is part of our new reality as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters. There are times where a positive case occurs but through thorough contact tracing, no close contacts have been established. Even though the number of students, staff, etc. in quarantine may be high, it does not mean they have a positive test. This is a strategy used in Illinois to limit the spread of the virus and to keep our state from a shelter in place again.
At this time, not every student or community member who has had to quarantine has been in a close contact situation at school. This seems to be a misconception. With the Labor Day weekend approaching, we are very concerned about contact tracing over the next few weeks.
There will be times where there will be a positive case in the classroom, but that does not mean close contacts have been established, it also does not mean the entire class must quarantine. This is very well spelled out in the ISBE and IDPH guidelines.
On a conference call last week with our State Superintendent of Education, she stated that ISBE was planning for intermittent closings through the fall. They have extended that through the spring. This will be based on a variety of metrics across the state. This means that districts may need to open and close as we approach flu season, the holidays, etc. We are doing everything we can to follow all procedures and restrictions to keep our schools open.
We will continue to update our chart as to the number of positive cases when we are notified of a confirmed positive case. If the number does not move, we have had no confirmation of a positive case. Two cases in a single classroom would initiate a deep cleaning of the classroom and closure for 24 hours, it does not mean that we would shut down a building. The administrators have been outstanding in problem-solving alternate locations for classrooms to go if a closure should occur.
We have people working around the clock to provide our students with the best education we can. We have worked to provide information that is easily understood and updated as soon as we receive it. This includes each time a major change has occurred. We ask that you please use caution in believing what has been posted on social media and has been interpreted. There are many phone calls we receive each day due to something inaccurate being posted on social media. We hope that things are approached with grace and out of general concern as all the things we have talked about above deal with a family’s right to privacy, health, and wellness.
Thank you for all your support!
We are better together!