As we all continue to deal with the negative impacts of the coronavirus disease pandemic, District 88 will maintain its practice of following data and guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, the Illinois and DuPage County health departments, the Illinois State Board of Education and the DuPage Regional Office of Education to make decisions in the best interest of the safety and well-being of our students, staff and community members.
As part of that focus, District 88 previously aligned its Return to School Plan with the DuPage County COVID-19 School Metrics Guidance. The guidance is comprised of six metrics that feed into three Community Transmission Levels (Minimal, Moderate or Substantial).
Moving to Phase 4 Tier 2 mitigation
On Monday, Jan. 18, DuPage County (region 8) was moved to Phase 4 Tier 2 mitigation. While the County remains in “substantial transmission,” as a result of this change in status and improved numbers, District 88 will implement the following (provided the community transmission levels do not increase):
1. Monday, Jan. 25: District 88 will end its adaptive pause (which was implemented on Nov. 20 and suspended all in-person curricular and extracurricular activities).
2. Monday, Jan. 25: District 88 will begin winter sports. See important details below. Student-athletes will receive communication from their coaches with specific details.
Approved winter sports are:
• Boys swimming & diving
• Cheerleading
• Dance (Poms)
• Girls bowling
• Girls gymnastics
• Girls badminton
See the story in Sports inside this issue of the Independent to find out more updates from the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) to allow sports to take place during the winter season.
Student-athletes who plan to participate in winter sports must register online at the links below.
• Addison Trail registration can be done at il.8to18.com/aths
• Willowbrook registration can be done at willowbrook.8to18.com.
Follow those links to the Registration Tab at the top of the page.
On Jan. 22, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) provided Sports Safety Guidance. To view that information, go dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/sports-safety-guidance.
3. Monday, Feb. 1: Learning centers may resume.
4. Monday, Feb 8: Other activities allowed in Stage 1 of the district’s Return to School Plan (referred to as Remote) may resume, including the identification of individual students for specialized in-person instruction, intervention, support and/or related services.
Future steps:
1. The Return to School Plan is tied to the DuPage County metrics. When the county moves to the Moderate Community Transmission Level, we will recommend transitioning to Stage 2 of our plan, referred to as Remote Plus. To see details of Stage 2, go dupage88.net/site/public/files/?item=5475.
2. After we move to Stage 2: Remote Plus, we will prioritize activities for seniors and freshmen (to help them acclimate to the school buildings).
3. During Stage 2: Remote Plus, we encourage teachers, coaches and sponsors to continue to connect with and care for students through providing curricular and extracurricular “in-person” activities that can be done in a cohort model. All activities must follow the policies, procedures and guidance that are in place regarding social distancing, health and cleaning protocols.
District 88 will provide weekly updates to parents via e-mail as we continue to monitor this situation. For more information about District 88’s Return to School Plan, go to dupage88.net/ReturnToSchoolPlan.
