Updated Guidance and

Information for

Reopening of Schools for

2020-21

1

New Information in the Last Week

● New State Guidelines from ISBE for Remote

Learning (July 23)

● New IDPH & CDC guidelines for schools (July 23)

● Recent COVID rates

● Results of Teacher Union Survey

● Data on Returning Substitutes

● Updated Costs of In Person Instruction (July 28)

2

New State Guidelines for Remote

Learning

● From June 23 - “ISBE strongly encourages schools and

districts to provide in-person instruction for all students,

especially those under the age of 13, to avoid the need for

child care and exposure to additional individuals”.

● From July 23 - “While both the Illinois State Board of

Education (ISBE) and Illinois Department of Public Health

(IDPH) agree that in-person learning is the goal, it may not

be safe or feasible to fully resume in-person learning in

every school community”.

○ Remote Learning should have 2.5 hours of synchronous

instruction. Our current remote by choice option at the

secondary level (Edgenuity) does not.

3

Finalized Data on Student Selection of

Learning Options

The numbers below are based on the 12,798 parents that made the selection

before the deadline.

Elementary Junior High High School

Number of students selecting

Remote by Choice

2056 1052 1120

Percent of students selecting

remote by choice of students

making selection

39% 33% 27%

Percent of students selecting

remote by choice of students

enrolled

30% 25% 20%

4

Finalized Data on Student Selection of

Learning Options and Impact on Class Size

We will need the following number of teachers to teach the

remote learning classes. These teachers will be moved from

existing in person classrooms which will mean that class

sizes will not necessarily be reduced.

Elementary: 73 teachers

Junior High: 24 teachers

High School: over 40 teachers

Additional staff would need to be hired to lower class size. 5

Results of Teacher Union

Survey

The Union surveyed the staff and 77% of teachers who

took the survey are requesting the district go to

Remote Learning for All.

1071 took survey out of 1350 members

831 Yes

240 No

6

Data on Staff taking Leaves or Needing

Telework

● We have 72 staff that have completed paperwork

for telework by the deadline.

● We currently have 25 staff asking for a leave of

absence.

7

Substitutes Available

As of 8:00 on July 30, we've received feedback from 303 of

our 409 substitutes about their intent to return next year.

Their responses are as follows:

● 221 Confirmed To Return

● 9 Responded As Undecided

● 99 Declined To Return

8

Kendall County Directives

• The Kendall County Health Department is our

source of guidance and information. The health

department takes directive from IDPH.

• Initial IDPH conversations with local health

departments indicated probable changes were

being made to the IDPH guidance and we were

given clearance to base our plans on the proposed

changes.

• However, those changes were never formalized

from IDPH, and our plans now have to be based on

the initial and current guidance issued from IDPH.9

Conflicting Guidance

Screenings:CDC: does not currently recommend universal symptom screenings

Rationale: Symptom screenings are not helpful in identifying individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection who are

asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic

ISBE/IDPH: Schools and districts must conduct temperature and symptom screenings or

require self certification and verification for all staff, students, and visitors entering school

buildings.

Exclusion:

CDC: Students who are sick with contagious illnesses should not attend school, but most

illnesses do not require the same level or length of isolation that COVID-19 does. Excluding

students from school for longer than what is called for in existing school policies (e.g., fever

free without medication for 24-hours) based on COVID-19 symptoms alone risks repeated,

long-term unnecessary student absence.

ISBE/IDPH: Schools and districts should communicate with families and staff that any

individual who tests positive for COVID-19 or who shows any signs or symptoms of illness

should stay home. IDPH guidelines for students who were suspected of having COVID-19,

whether they were tested or not, state that 24 hours must elapse from resolution of fever

without fever reducing medication and 10 days must pass after symptoms first appeared.

10

Quarantine/Isolation

From IDPH update 7.20.2020

If individual has close contact with someone who has COVID-19 and will not have

further close contact = Quarantine 14 days from the date of last close contact

For COVID-19, a close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of

an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness

onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection)

until the time the patient is isolated.

COVID-19 Symptoms: • Fever of 100.4 F or greater or chills

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• New loss of taste or smell

• Sore throat

• Congestion or runny nose

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

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12

ScenarioMary- High School Student

• Develops a fever at school on Wednesday, is sent to the

nurse, is isolated and sent home. She must quarantine for

at least 10 days and be fever free when she returns.

IDPH would encourage that she be tested. If positive (or

probable):

• Her “close contacts” anyone within 6 feet for at least 15

minutes must quarantine for 14 days (includes

individuals she encountered Mon & Tues). *If they become

symptomatic they are now a “case” and must follow protocol.

• She attended 7 classes, ate lunch, rode a bus…potentially

requiring 100+ students to quarantine.

13

Symptom Screening

Schools and districts must conduct daily temperature and symptom

screenings or require self certification and verification for all staff,

students, and visitors entering school buildings.

• Students must undergo symptom and temperature checks, which may

include self-certification, before boarding a bus.

• Schools and districts can require individuals to self-certify that they are

fever- and symptom free before entering a school building each day, in

lieu of conducting symptom and temperature checks at the school

building.

• Self-certification could consist of a simple electronic form that an

individual must complete each day. A self-certification may not be

completed at the beginning of the year for the entire year.

• General counsel at ISBE has recently confirmed that their expectations are

that only parents, students over age 18, or emancipated minors be allowed

to self certify on a daily basis.

14

Updated COVID Rates

● Kendall County is in Region 2:

Positivity rate 2.6% (June 28) to 4.8% (July 30)

– Eight consecutive days of positivity increases

● 49% of cases of COVID-19 in Kendall County are

in persons under age 40.

● Kendall County is at a warning level for new cases -

66 per 100,000 new cases (target- less than 50 per

100,000)

15

2020-21 Additional Costs due to Covid 19 for One

Semester of In Person Instruction

Additional Certified teachers needing to be hired to offer both

in person and remote by choice $280,000

Sanitizer for semester $491,500

Substitutes $800,000

Additional Equipment Needs $123,155

Additional Health aides $437,500

Additional Custodians 43 X 24,250 $1,042,750

Transportation $351,000

Other Staff $156,000

Student Resource Officers $65,000

Utilities $498,000

Classroom Supplies $400,000

PPE Supplies $95,000

Additional Cost of In Person Instruction for one semester $4,739,90516

In-Person/Remote-by-Choice 5-year Projections

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Remote for All – 5-year Projections

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Questions

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