By Chris Fox
For The Elmhurst Independent
The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board held a regular meeting on Tuesday, July 13, which was the board’s first meeting since Dr. Keisha Campbell officially started as the district’s superintendent on July 1.
Campbell gave a presentation about plans for the 2021-22 school year. She said the district is planning for a school year that includes five full days of in-person instruction per week. Speaking about the preparations to return to operations that resemble those in place before the COVID-19 pandemic, Campbell stated that in-person instruction “provides the optimal learning environment.”
She referred to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recently issued guidance for schools, which recommended that masks be worn indoors by all persons 2 and older who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine. Campbell noted the high vaccination rate among DuPage County residents. She related that more than 80 percent of county residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
While the district will continue to encourage all eligible students to get a COVID-19 vaccination, Campbell said that the district understands it is a personal decision. Campbell, who said the district is in its healthiest spot since the beginning of the pandemic, proposed that masks be optional for fully vaccinated individuals and strongly encouraged for those not vaccinated. She also said the district will work to maintain physical distancing of at least three feet in school buildings.
The board was told by Campbell that the district’s administrative team is examining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent guidance for schools. The board will vote on a COVID-19 related health plan for the 2021-22 school year at an upcoming meeting. Board president Kara Caforio said the board will probably hold a special meeting in the next couple of weeks to consider the district’s health plan.
Fostering a climate of respect
Campbell also stressed the importance of fostering a climate of respect and acceptance for all community members as the district prepares for a new school year. She said the district plans to eliminate saliva screenings, which were implemented during the 2020-21 school year. She said the district has a goal of reducing the amount of quarantined students, and that vaccinated students will not have to follow the quarantine protocols that were in place during the last school year. Non-vaccinated students will not have to quarantine, unless they exhibit COVID-19 symptoms. A student who exhibits COVID-19 symptoms in school will receive a rapid COVID-19 test. If the test is positive, a parent would come to school to pick up their child.
The district would notify parents if their child was in a shared school space with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, Campbell said, adding that the district would continue its cleaning protocols in school buildings, along with providing maximum ventilation and encouraging frequent hand-washing.
The district invites residents who have questions about the district’s health plan for the 2021-22 school year to send an email to forwardtogether@elmhurst 205.org.
Getting back ‘sense of normalcy’
Board member Christopher Kocinski said that the district is moving into a phase of personal choice in terms of wearing masks. He said that eliminating the practice of quarantining healthy children is a good step forward. Board member Courtenae Trautmann referred to a large number of student quarantines during the last school year, and stated that the district cannot accomplish its goal of in-person learning if so many students are in quarantines. Board member Athena Arvanitis said the district over-quarantined during the last school year but has since learned a lot more. She also stated that she was happy that the district’s students could have a sense of normalcy in school.
Caforio mentioned that the district did not want to return to a hybrid model of in-person and remote instruction. Campbell said that approximately 20 students don’t want to return to in-person instruction. She stressed that students cannot simply opt in for remote learning; the district will only offer remote instruction to students with a documented medical condition.
