
COVID Update and Safety Reminders
February 5, 2021
COVID Update and Safety Reminders
Dear District 41 Community,
As we head into the weekend, I want to share an update with you about our COVID-19 screening results. Over the past month we have seen an increase of positive results in pockets across our school district. This is concerning because we want to keep our schools open and keep as many students learning in person as possible.
Adaptive Pauses
We have had to put classes and grade groups on adaptive pauses at two of our schools due to the percentage of positive results going over 3 percent. Going on an adaptive pause is not a decision that is taken lightly. We consult with our professional medical team and the DuPage County Health Department on how to proceed based on screening results. If you are part of a team, grade, or classroom that has been put on adaptive pause, please increase your commitment to social distancing, mask wearing, hand washing, and deeply consider staying home from non-essential activities while learning from home to protect others.
Increased COVID-19 Screenings
We have been able to increase our mitigation efforts by temporarily adding additional covid screening opportunities for the areas in the district showing the highest positivity rates. For example, we were able to provide an additional saliva test this week to all students and staff at one of our schools that has been showing an increase in covid activity. At the same school, we also offered BinaxNOW screening for a specific grade level as a second weekly screening test and for anyone who has not signed up for the saliva testing program. The vast majority of the student cases that have been identified by our saliva screening and BinaxNOW testing have been asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic cases. If you are in the blended model and are not enrolled in the Safeguard Saliva screening program, now is the time to reconsider how saliva testing helps keep everyone in our learning environment as safe as possible by being able to identify these asymptomatic cases and slow the spread of COVID-19. Please consent in Skyward or contact Nancy Mogk nmogk@d41.org if you need assistance enrolling your student in this extremely important mitigation effort.
Practice Safety Measures
At this time, we do not have sufficient information to substantiate that transmission has taken place in school. This communication is not intended to cause unnecessary alarm, we are notifying you of an increase in cases so that you can exercise caution and make well-informed decisions in light of the weekend and Super Bowl Sunday. I know that it is tempting to venture out more now that restaurants and activities are opening up; however, coming into close contact with others who live outside of your home can create a higher rate of exposure to the virus. Please keep in mind that the definition of a close contact to a COVID-19 includes, but isn't limited to, a person living with a positive/probable case, face-to-face within six feet of a positive/probable case for 15 minutes or more (WITH or WITHOUT a mask on), or had other types of direct contact with a positive/probable case, like kissing, or had contact with secretions of the case with a confirmed positive or probable case of COVID-19 within the past 14 days.
Please continue to partner with us to keep schools open in our blended model. Please continue to practice strict social distancing of at least 6 feet with mask wearing (masks are NOT a substitute for social distancing), hand washing, as well as disinfecting surfaces at home. If your child/children is on quarantine due to being a close contact of a positive case, you should not have them participate in activities outside of the home or be in proximity of others who are not part of your immediate (in your home) family. This is especially important for those who are medically fragile or in another high risk category such as 65 and older.
Report Cases, Close Contacts and Symptoms
Please continue to report all positive cases in your students and close contacts via email or phone to your school nurse as soon as you have a result to receive further guidance. Please continue to report your students' symptoms to the school nurse and keep all of your children home from school if one of them is symptomatic. Please continue to keep your children home if they have been in close contact with anyone in your home or outside of your home that has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Abraham Lincoln School RN:
Donna Feaster dfeaster@d41.org or 630-534-7563
Benjamin Franklin School RN:
Maureen Walgren mwalgren@d41.org or 630-534-7408
Churchill School RN:
Rachel Seifert rseifert@d41.org or 630-534-7275
Forest Glen School RN:
Crystal Resendiz cresendiz@d41.org or 630-534-7373
Hadley School RN’s:
Alysha Dharani adharani@d41.org or 630-534-7614
Stephanie Andraws sandraws@d41.org or 630-534-7618
Thank you.
Dr. K & The D41 Healthcare Team
Dr. Melissa Kaczkowski
Superintendent
Glen Ellyn School District 41
Email: webmaster@d41.org
Website: www.d41.org
Location: 793 North Main Street, Glen Ellyn, IL, USA
Phone: 630.790.6400
Facebook: facebook.com/glenellynd41
Twitter: @glenellynd41