Dear CUSD 201 Community,
On Friday, the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) released a Return to School Framework for school districts related to the Illinois Department of Public Health metrics. The framework provides school districts with guidance in determining when it is safe to resume in-person learning.
- The new guidance establishes three levels of community transmission risk based on a variety of factors, including weekly cases, positivity rates, and rate of community spread; the color-coded levels include Minimal (yellow), Moderate (orange), and Substantial (red). DuPage County is currently in the “Moderate/orange” level. This link will take you to the current metrics. (DCHD School Metrics)
- Currently, CUSD 201 is in remote learning. Using this new framework from the DCHD, we will be determining how to adapt our original CUSD 201 School Reopening Plan to meet the new guidelines while in the “Moderate/orange” level. To accomplish this, we need to rethink our model to maintain student cohorts and limit the number of times students change classes in a school day.
- Moving between less and more restrictive levels is based on complex guidelines, and the metrics will be updated by the DCHD every Friday. It only takes one metric to move to a more restrictive level. All four metrics need to be lower for two weeks To move to a less stringent level. CUSD 201 will post this report on our website after receiving it.
Our goal remains the same; to return students to our schools for in-person learning if it is safe to do so. As we work through this most recent guidance, we will keep you posted.
In the meantime, you can do your part. Lowering the metrics for DuPage County can be as simple as not hosting a party barbecue or attending a large gathering. If the goal is to have students in our schools, we may need to make some sacrifices. Please know our overarching goal never changes. To provide the best education possible, whether we are remote or in-person.
Take care,
Kevin Carey
Superintendent
CUSD 201