District 88 shares important updates regarding the district’s Return to School Plan

As we continue to deal with the negative impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we maintain our 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, we previously aligned our 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). Below is a link to the county’s current metrics and levels.

DuPage County Recent School Metrics

*Previous statistics can be viewed at https://www.dupagehealth.org/595/Schools-and-Daycares.

On 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 don’t increase):

1. 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. 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
   - At this time, we haven’t received approval from state health organizations or the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) to allow Boys and Girls Basketball to take place during the winter season. We will continue to monitor these sports and will share any provided updates.

   Student-athletes who plan to participate in winter sports must register online at the links below.

   - Addison Trail registration: CLICK HERE

   - Willowbrook registration: CLICK HERE

   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 to https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/sports-safety-guidance.

3. Feb. 1: Learning centers may resume.
   
   
4. 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. As mentioned above, our 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 to https://www.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.

We 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 www.dupage88.net/ReturnToSchoolPlan. Thank you for your continued support of District 88.