February 11, 2022

Dear CCSD93 Community,

As you know, due to a judicial ruling on a lawsuit filed against more than 140 Illinois school districts, a temporary restraining order (TRO) has been put in place halting the Governor’s mask mandate within those districts. The TRO is currently under appeal. As I shared with you last week, CCSD93 was not named in the lawsuit, and our initial stance was to wait to adjust any mitigation strategies until the appeals process plays out.

This message is to inform you that after careful consideration of the state of the TRO halting the Governor’s mask mandate for some Illinois school districts, at last night’s Board of Education meeting the decision was made to transition CCSD93 from masks required to mask recommended but not required beginning Monday, February 14.

CCSD93 continues to recommend the use of face coverings, which aligns with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for school. It is critical to note that masking is still required on school buses per federal requirements.

We will continue to prioritize student and staff safety by maintaining the mitigation strategies of physical distancing, handwashing etiquette, appropriate accommodations of students and staff with disabilities, enhanced cleaning, testing of indoor athletic participants, sending low-risk COVID-19 exposure messages to school communities, excluding COVID-19 positive individuals, and excluding students who live with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. 

School contact tracing will occur, and staff and families will be notified of individual exposure to positive cases of 3 feet or closer for more than 15 minutes in a 24 hour period. School close contact cases will be recommended but not required to quarantine. In all situations, students and staff members must be fever-, diarrhea- and vomit-free for at least 24 hours before being allowed entrance to school. You can find fully updated mitigation strategies at www.ccsd93.com/mitigations.

I understand that our families will have differing responses to this sudden adjustment. Regardless of your personal or family choice about masking, it is crucial that we respect each other’s decisions and meet one another with kindness. Please discuss with your child that the choice to mask or not to mask is a personal one, and others should not be blamed, shamed or questioned for their choice. Our staff members have been directed to reinforce this perspective and redirect student questions about masking choices back to the lesson or task at hand. We will not tolerate disrespectful behavior of any kind. 

Please know that the result of the impending TRO appeal may cause additional adjustments to mitigation measures. We will continue to keep you updated. Thank you for your continued cooperation and flexibility as we navigate the pandemic. 

Sincerely,

David H. Hill, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
CCSD93