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player ready...The Barrington 220 School District board heard from Superintendent Brian Harris that ongoing vaccinations of district teachers and staff and declining rates of positive COVID-19 case counts could result in more students being allowed in schools – in person – six or eight weeks from now.
Harris told board members at the March 2 school board meeting that the process of vaccination against the novel coronavirus – which causes the COVID-19 disease – is going well for district staff.
“A high percentage have participated,” Harris said of the number of staff members who have already received the first shot of the two-dose vaccine.
He said he expects them to receive the second shot by early April.
Harris noted that numbers for community spread of the virus are trending down.
He said the district’s elementary and middle school principals are making plans to provide full-day, in-person instruction as the 14-day rolling average of new positive COVID-19 cases falls below 50 per 100,000 people.
The district is currently operating under its Hybrid 2.0 plan, with students whose families chose the option splitting their time between in-person attendance and remote learning.
At present, elementary and middle school buildings are “maxed out” in capacity, Harris said, limited by the requirement for 6 feet of social distancing between students and staff.
Board members heard from Harris that because only about one-third of the nearly 3,000 students enrolled at Barrington High School have chosen in-person instruction, nearly 1,000 students are able to be in the high school “five days a week, all day long.”
Harris also told board members tents which the district used last fall will be back up after spring break, providing spaces for such activities as physical education.
The superintendent reported at the meeting that plans are underway at Barrington High School for in-person graduation ceremonies in four sessions May 29. The commencements would be held at Barrington Community Stadium. Harris said he recognized the Memorial Day weekend date could pose challenges for some families, but, he said, it was chosen to allow for a rain date either May 30 or May 31.
Families are expected to receive more details in communications from the school soon, officials said.
Graydon Megan is a freelancer.