West Aurora School District 129 Superintendent Jeff Craig said the district is studying new guidelines from the state concerning COVID-19 protocols for the beginning of the new school year next month.
Illinois Department of Public Health officials last Friday announced that the state is adopting guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that among other things says that vaccinated students and teachers don’t have to wear masks inside school buildings.
The CDC provided information on masking, social distancing, contact tracing and COVID-19 testing options for both students and staff, Craig said.
Craig said the district is in the process of reviewing the new guidance and its impact on the district.
“We understand that our families are looking for more clarity on how this guidance will specifically impact School District 129. However, our district leadership team, Board of Education, union leaders and legal counsel need time to thoroughly review the information to create a comprehensive plan that safely welcomes all students back to our schools each day,” Craig said in a statement.
The district intends to share the results of its review as soon as it can, he said.
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The national and state health officials issued direction for when students in kindergarten through high school return to school in the fall based on the “latest scientific information” on the pandemic, the superintendent said.
State Superintendent Carmen Ayala in a declaration approved by the Illinois State Board of Education stated that all schools in Illinois must resume full in-person learning in the fall with limited exceptions.
According to the declaration, remote instruction should be made available for students who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine or who are not eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, only while they are under quarantine consistent with guidance or requirements from a local public health department or the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Craig addressed the new COVID-19 guidance at the West Aurora School Board meeting on Monday night.
“We know our parents are looking for clarity on this guidance,” Craig said.
He said there are “semantic and language challenges” between the federal and state agencies as well as the Illinois State Board of Education and Kane County Public Health Department that need to be resolved, he said.
Educators have begun to discuss those issues, he said.
“Some of those directions are in conflict with each other. We cannot have multiple sets of directions. We are working to resolve those,” Craig said. “We know that whatever plan we roll out will impact all of our students and staff of District 129.”
He said administrators are working with union leadership as well as the district’s legal counsel on the issue. The area’s superintendents met earlier this week with the Kane County Regional Office of Education and Kane County Public Health Department to try to “resolve some of the differences” and develop a comprehensive plan that “welcomes all students back safely to all of our schools,” he said.
Craig said District 129 will maintain its public health safety practices to ensure “the safest and cleanest environment possible.”
“It is absolutely my objective that we do whatever we need to do to get our kids back in school experiencing what we offer as a high-quality education with access to extracurricular activities and athletics,” he said.
The district wants students in buildings for the long haul, he said.
“If that means we have to take other measures we will. We want our kids to be in a safe environment all day long and every day,” Craig said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.