Chicago Heights Middle School

Return to In-Person Learning Plan
Overview
Chicago Heights School District 170 (CHSD 170) is committed to providing a safe in-person return to school
experience for all. Therefore, The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Illinois Department of Public Health
(IDPH) and The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines will be adhered to as a means of ensuring a
successful transition from remote learning. Continuous monitoring and necessary updates to this plan will be
made based on the most current information and recommendations made by IDPH and CDC.
Communication is vital to ensure students and staff have a successful return to in-person education with
minimal disruption. Because of the unique attributes of individual school buildings, each school will develop
and share a more detailed building level Return to In-Person Learning Plan that will outline specific mitigation
information.
Mitigation Measures
The following prevention procedures will be implemented as a means of mitigating transmission levels.
Cleaning:
● Continuous, ongoing daily cleaning and disinfection of common areas and frequently touched surfaces.
● Staff is encouraged to disinfect personal workspace multiple times throughout the school day using
district-approved cleaning products.
Hand-Washing and Respiratory Etiquette:
● Frequent hand-washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. CDC Hand Washing Link Here.
● Promote and utilize hand sanitizing stations.
● Avoid touching the face.
● Cover coughs and sneezes.
Contact Tracing and Quarantine:
● Per the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), those who have been exposed to someone with
COVID-19 or test positive for COVID-19, must quarantine/isolate from school for up to a period of 14
calendar days.
● For teachers, staff and adults in the indoor K-12 classroom setting, CDC defines a close contact as an
individual not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a
cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
● According to the new CDC close contact definition, classroom students who were within 3 to 6 feet of
the infected student are not treated as close contacts as long as both the infected student and exposed
student were engaged in consistent and correct use of a well-fitting mask and other K-12 school
prevention strategies (such as universal and correct mask use, physical distancing, increased
ventilation) were in place in the K-12 setting. In other words, only classroom contacts within 3 feet
require quarantine as long as both the case and the contact were consistently masked.
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● If they were not consistently masked, then close contacts are classroom students who were within 6
feet of the infected student for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
● Early Childhood Education (ECE) and PreK settings may implement universal mask use in some
situations, such as if they serve a population not yet eligible for vaccination or if they have increasing,
substantial, or high COVID-19 transmission in their ECE/PreK program or community.
● Administration will work with staff to identify and communicate with individuals who meet the CDC
definition of “close contact”.
● IDPH states that any individual who has been fully vaccinated, and does not have symptoms, does not
have to quarantine if identified as a close contact.
● Individuals who are identified as close contact and are vaccinated must remain out of school if
presenting symptoms. They may return to school when their symptoms subside for 24 hours.
● All individuals will be required to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination to the school nurse in order to
avoid quarantine after being identified as a close contact.
● Persons who have lab confirmed COVID-19 within the last 90 days or those fully vaccinated who
remain asymptomatic, according to CDC guidelines, are not required to quarantine if identified as a
close contact to a confirmed case.
● Read the most updated IDPH guidance related to COVID-19 symptoms, contact tracing, quarantine,
and isolation here.
Health and Safety Protocols:
● Sick students and staff must remain home.
● Students and staff with any of the listed symptoms of COVID-19 should not report to in-person learning:
○ New Cough
○ Fatigue from unknown cause
○ Muscle or body aches from unknown cause
○ Fever measured temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater
○ New onset of moderate to severe headache
○ Known close contact with a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 (if unvaccinated)
○ Vomiting
○ Diarrhea
○ New loss of taste or smell
○ Shortness of breath
○ Sore throat
● Medical Evaluation and Testing are Strongly Recommended for All Persons with Covid-Like
Symptoms. (IDPH)
Masks:
● On August 4, 2021, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Illinois State Superintendent of Education Dr.
Carmen Ayala announced that mask wearing would be mandatory in all Illinois schools, regardless of
vaccination status. Chicago Heights School District 170 will fully comply with the COVID-19 mitigation
plan put forward by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health
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Social Distancing:
● Maximize social distancing to the extent possible.
● Three to six feet social distancing will be observed as much as possible.
HVAC:
● The district will monitor building air quality on a regular basis.
● Schools will maximize the amount of outdoor air brought into the building (outdoor weather and air
quality dependent).
Symptoms Check:
● Parents are responsible for keeping their child/ren home if they show any sign of COVID-19.
● Students may have their temperature taken upon arrival to school.
● A parent will be contacted to immediately pick up their child/ren if they exhibit COVID-19 symptoms.
Remote Learning:
● All Illinois public schools are required to resume in person learning for all students.
● Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, all Illinois public schools are required to resume fully in-person
learning for all student attendance days, provided that, pursuant to 105 ILCS 5/10-30 and 105 ILCS
5/34-18.66, remote instruction be made available for students who have not received a COVID-19
vaccine or who are not eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, only while they are under quarantine consistent
with guidance or requirements from a local public health department or the Illinois Department of Public
Health. Students may not opt into remote learning but may qualify for remote learning in limited
circumstances.
References:
● Visit https://www.vaccines.gov/ to learn more and to find a vaccination location near you.
● IDPH https://www.dph.illinois.gov/c...
● ISBE https://www.isbe.net/Pages/cov...
● CDC https://www.cdc.gov/coronaviru...
● CCPH https://cookcountypublichealth...
● CHSD 170 website https://www.sd170.com/
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