Dear Waterloo Families,
Long awaited guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the Illinois Department of Public Health was shared publicly on Friday, July 9. We have consulted with our local health department and can share tentative plans on some of the most pressing issues regarding a return to full in-person learning.
- The School Day
- We will resume our traditional schedule and full in-person learning on August 12, 2021, for all student attendance days. Students that are unvaccinated will have access to remote instruction during any quarantine period as determined by the Local Health Department.
- Masks & Social Distancing:
- In accordance with CDC and IDPH guidelines, masks should be worn indoors by all individuals who are not fully vaccinated. We will work closely with our Local Health Department in monitoring the level of community transmission and may elect to require masks be worn by all students or groups of students based on building, local and regional circumstances (positivity rate, hospitalization rate, ICU bed availability, etc.) We will also take into consideration whether transmission of the virus is suspected to be occurring in our schools.
- Masks must be worn by all students during bus transportation.
- We will strive to provide at least three feet of social distancing in classrooms and other areas where students are gathered together for extended periods of time. This will not always be possible for us to do.
- Quarantines
- We anticipate that quarantines of unvaccinated students and staff will continue. We expect updated guidance on quarantines and contact tracing requirements. Like last school year, we will consult with our health department regarding any student exposures to the virus and will provide remote learning opportunities for students that are under quarantine. Remote instruction may or may not be in the same format or timeline that students received during the 20/21 school year.
We are excited to welcome all of our students back to school in August and will work collaboratively with our Local Health Department in keeping safety our highest priority for our students, staff and community.
Sincerely,
Brian Charron
Superintendent
Waterloo CUSD #5