News from CCSD15
January 4, 2022
Dear District 15 Families,
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and are enjoying a safe and healthy winter break. As we look toward the return to school on Monday, January 10, 2022, I wanted to provide families with an update on how D15 is preparing to manage the anticipated post-holiday period as it relates to rising COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious Omicron variant.
As always, our priorities continue to focus on keeping our schools open for in person learning while also working to provide a safe and healthy learning and work environment for staff and students.
Safe 6 Measures
When we return to school, we will continue to follow our Safe 6 measures. One adjustment we will make when we return eliminates the physical self-certification cards, but we ask that everyone continues to stay home/keep your child(ren) home when COVID-19 symptoms are present.
SHIELD Testing to Resume
We will resume SHIELD testing and continue to encourage all students, whether vaccinated or not, to test on a weekly basis. If you haven’t opted in for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year, please fill out this consent form and email it to SHIELD@ccsd15.net. Additionally, we will continue to offer our Test to Stay program with the goal of keeping as many students in class learning with their classmates.
CDC Guidance
We are aware of the recently revised CDC guidelines recommending shortened periods of isolation or quarantine for those not experiencing COVID symptoms. Per the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), at this time the shortened quarantine period does not apply to school districts. If and when there is any change to school guidance, we will communicate that information and how it applies to our District.
Positive Test Results
We ask that students please share any positive COVID test results with their school health team. Having a positive test result on file is crucial information when determining quarantine and exclusion status for the 2022 school year.
While it is both our intention and sincere desire to keep our classrooms open for in-person learning, it is important that you prepare for the possibility that we will need to return to a short period of remote learning in specific classrooms, grade levels, or schools based on any one of several factors. Factors include:
A high number of faculty and staff needing to isolate due to a positive COVID-19 test or illness and the lack of available substitute staff to safely conduct in-person learning;
Recommendation of the Cook County Public Health Department and/or IDPH;
A high number of students unable to physically attend school due to COVID infection or exposure and exclusion; and/or
CCDPH or IDPH mandate a return to remote learning due to an outbreak event in one or more of our schools.
I share these scenarios now to be proactive, as I fully understand the disruption that remote learning causes our families. However, we need to be prepared both at the District and family level for any unexpected curve balls that could be thrown our way.
Optional Testing Clinic - January 6
To help identify anyone that may have been exposed to COVID over break, we are offering an optional testing clinic for our District 15 community on Thursday, January 6, 2022. The clinic will be held at Winston Campus located at 900 E. Palatine Road in Palatine from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Park in the lot between the elementary and junior high entrances and enter at door 8.
Please note this clinic is not part of our weekly SHIELD testing. The results are not shared with the District, so our SHIELD consent will not be needed to participate. To test on 1/6/22 you need to:
Create an account by clicking here.
Enter code: df5brbrj
If you are also testing your children, add them as dependents (directions here)
Important: schedule an appointment for 1/6/22 at 60067 Palatine CCSD Winston
Again, D15 does not have access to the results of tests performed at this testing clinic. Therefore, you will need to access your own result. Here is information on how to do so. An additional FAQ and help can be found here or call (217) 265-6059 for support.
Optional Vaccination Clinic - January 8
District 15 has partnered with IDPH for a vaccination clinic on Saturday, January 8 from 10 am - 3 pm at Conyers Learning Academy. The clinic has 5-11 vaccinations, adult vaccinations, and booster appointments available at this link. If you attended the December 18 clinic and need a second vaccine, you MUST register again for the January 8 clinic.
Keeping our classrooms and schools fully open to in-person learning as we enter the post-holiday period will be a community-wide effort. I respectfully request that all of our families continue to be both vigilant and cautious as we ride out the current wave of COVID-19. To do so we ask for your partnership in:
Monitoring your child(ren) for any COVID-like symptoms;
Keeping your student home when symptoms are present, and when school resumes, contacting your school nurses office to report the illness;
Consider limiting your child’s participation in indoor social/athletic events where there may be inconsistent masking and lack of social distancing; and
Limiting any unnecessary travel and, if travel is required, continue to closely follow CDC consistent masking and travel guidelines to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
I am confident that with the help of all of our staff and families, we will continue to successfully manage opening our schools in 2022. As always, we will continue to monitor the situation and will work closely with local and state public health departments as well as our families in keeping our schools safe and engaging places of learning.
We look forward to welcoming our students back to class on Monday, January 10, 2022. I hope 2022 is off to a very healthy and happy start.
Your partner in education,
Laurie Heinz, Superintendent of Schools
Community Consolidated School District 15
Email: d15communications@ccsd15.net
Website: www.ccsd15.net
Location: 580 North 1st Bank Drive, Palatine, IL, USA
Phone: 847-963-3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCSD15
Twitter: @D15Schools