District 88 shares important COVID-19 updates and reminders

Pictured is District 88 Superintendent Dr. Jean Barbanente.

At District 88, our No. 1 priority is the safety, health and well-being of students and staff. As part of that focus, we are committed to sharing the most up-to-date information possible regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Please see the important updates and reminders below.

As we previously shared, Illinois and DuPage County have recently seen an increase in COVID-19 cases. For updated information on local case counts, visit the District 88 COVID-19 Dashboard. We also have added daily staff and student absences as part of our dashboard.

  • On Jan. 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated quarantine guidelines for schools.

  • On Jan. 7, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Governor’s office issued a joint statement confirming their intent to adopt the new guidance. CLICK HERE to view that health alert.

  • On Jan. 7, Illinois State Superintendent Dr. Carmen Ayala confirmed the IDPH and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) plan to align with the new CDC guidance for schools and will issue detailed updated guidance as soon as possible. CLICK HERE to view Dr. Ayala’s message.

As directed by Gov. JB Pritzker, State Superintendent Dr. Ayala and our District 88 Board of Education, our priority must remain on in-person instruction. To that end, non-instructional activities may be adjusted to minimize exposure, including limiting outside visitors to our facilities for non-student-related meetings/events and conducting staff/parent/community meetings remotely to the extent possible. Along those lines, we have decided to move the Jan. 20 Course Info Night and Curriculum Showcase to a remote format, and further details will be shared with families soon.

Given the rise in case counts and staff absences, we are monitoring our staffing capacity on a daily basis to make sure we can maintain in-person instruction and opportunities. Should we surpass our ability to sustain safe, in-person instruction, we will consult with the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) and determine whether an “adaptive pause” is necessary. An adaptive pause is a temporary transition to E-Learning. In the event that, in consultation with the DCHD, we determine we need to call an adaptive pause and transition to E-Learning, staff and families will be informed the night before. Therefore, students and staff should be ready to shift to temporary online learning at any time and must take home their materials and equipment (including Chromebooks) each day. Additionally, students should be encouraged to bring earbuds in the event they must connect to an E-Learning lesson while on campus (headphones/earbuds also can be requested from the technology office).

Please note: District 88 is authorized to provide remote learning to students under three circumstances only. See details at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yl16Wjx7hHQRe9eUdf_zftZxkJcoTCDaxNPFXCUk7YI/edit.

District 88 students, staff and volunteers have access to free, voluntary COVID-19 PCR testing conducted by Northshore Clinical. We will now provide testing two days a week (from 2:45 to 4:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays) at Addison Trail and Willowbrook. Please note, PCR testing has been temporarily suspended for two weeks. However, rapid testing is available at both campuses. See details at https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/14173.

We continue to follow all of the deep-cleaning protocols according to the CDC Guidelines for Cleaning. Every cleaner we use contains disinfectant, and supplies will continue to be provided to each classroom/office space (as has taken place since the beginning of the pandemic). Electrostatic sprayers are used daily to disinfect the building throughout the week, and restrooms are cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis. We continue to use the recommended MERV-13 air filters and also have ensured a minimum 20% outside air exchange in every space.

Please remember masks are required for all students, staff and visitors (whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated) while indoors at District 88 facilities. All individuals (whether vaccinated or not) also must wear a mask while riding a school bus - CDC Guidance CDC Mask Recommendations.

We encourage everyone to be mindful of and follow the current recommendations and guidance to help keep everyone safe. Should your child have exposure to someone with COVID-19 or test positive for COVID-19, we ask that you contact the Addison Trail Health Services Office at jcampbell@dupage88.net or 630-628-3335, or the Willowbrook Health Services Office at wbnurse@dupage88.net or 630-530-3457.

As mentioned above, Illinois and DuPage County have recently seen an increase in COVID-19 cases. DuPage County highlights include:

  • 1,032 cases per 100,000 and 15.32% positivity
  • 77% of the population older than age 5 are fully vaccinated
  • 82.9% of the population older than age 18 are fully vaccinated
  • 31% of individuals 5-11 years old are fully vaccinated
  • Rate of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations in unvaccinated adolescents aged 12-17 was 10 times higher than fully vaccinated adolescents aged 12-17
  • Unvaccinated persons had 10 times the risk of testing positive for COVID-19 and 20 times the risk of dying from COVID-19 compared to fully vaccinated persons with additional or booster doses

The health department continues to stress the No. 1 mitigation strategy against COVID-19 is to be vaccinated.

While it isn’t a requirement for students to submit verification of vaccination, we are providing an option to upload this information to assist with contact tracing. Should a close-contact or outbreak situation occur, this information is a way for the district to know which students and staff don’t need to quarantine or isolate. If you would like the district to have proof of your child's vaccination, we encourage you to upload your child's most updated vaccine card (including the booster, if applicable) to the links below. The content will be kept secure and won’t be shared.

On Jan. 3, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the distribution of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 booster shot for children ages 12 to 15, and the CDC approved this decision on Jan. 5 (https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0105-Booster-Shot.html). A booster vaccine clinic will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 9 at Addison Trail. To register, go to https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/14451.

For the most up-to-date information from District 88 regarding COVID-19, go to https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/14010.

For questions or more information, feel free to contact me at jbarbanente@dupage88.net or 630-530-3980. We will get through this together, and we appreciate your continued support of District 88.

Sincerely,
Jean Barbanente, Ed.D.
District 88 Superintendent