Sheridan Grade School

Community Unit School District #2 2283 N. 3812th Road - P.O. Box 107 - Serena, IL 60549 (815) 496-6630 Dear Serena CUSD #2 Families, Staff & Community: Welcome back! We are eager to welcome all our teachers and support staff back into the buildings on Monday, August 16, 2021. We are excited to welcome back all of our students on Wednesday, August 18, 2021. Our first student attendance day will be a full school day for grades K-12. We look forward to August 12, 2021 return full-time in-person learning. While the start of this year seems in many ways to be taking several steps backwards from how we ended last school year, please know that the health and safety of every person in our school system is the number one priority. I want to outline the events that have transpired over the past few days to be as transparent as possible regarding the mitigations and mandates that will be followed in all buildings as we approach the start of the school year. On August 4, 2021, the Board of Education was presented with an overview of the Return to Learn Plan. This plan established the procedures and conditions under which we will open schools for the 2021-2022 school year. Our plan was approved under the known condition that it will be a continuously updated plan to meet the local and state changes related to the pandemic. On August 4, 2021, the Governor released Executive Order Number 18 (COVID-19 Executive Order No. 85) in which Universal Indoor Masking was mandated in all PreK-12 environments. This mandate was released shortly before the start of the board meeting where our Return to Learn Plan was approved. There was no opportunity to review the mandated order and alter the Return to Learn Plan prior to the board meeting. Therefore, the Return to Learn Plan was approved knowing that it would need to be updated. On August 5, 2021, the approved Return to Learn Plan and other COVID related guidance was posted to our district website for public knowledge and access. These documents are updated regularly to ensure that the most current information is accessible to our students, staff, and community. On August 9, 2021, Revised Public Health Guidance for Schools was released by ISBE and IDPH. This document outlined specific changes that are a requirement of the Executive Order from August 4, 2021. In short, the Return to Learn Plan that was approved is no longer able to be followed due to mandates from the Executive Order. The Revised Public Health Guidance for Schools was posted to the district website on August 9, 2021 for public knowledge and access. The administrative team was sent the same Revised Public Health Guidance for Schools on August 9, 2021 to review for clear understanding of the new mandate and how it would change our ability to reopen our schools per our Return to Learn Plan. This document was reviewed and compared to our current Return to Learn Plan. It was determined after review and consultation with our attorneys that our original Return to Learn Plan that was approved on August 4, 2021 cannot be followed with the new mandated order in place. We are subject to following the mandates from Executive Order Number 18. Serena Community Unit School District #2 www.unit2.net Serena Community Unit School District #2 2283 N. 3812th Road - P.O. Box 107 - Serena, IL 60549 (815) 496-6630 On August 10, 2021 our district attorneys confirmed through a webinar session that all school handbooks and school board policies for discipline practices will be followed if any students show failure to follow the regulations of the Executive Order mandates. Senate Bill 100 will continue to be followed to ensure the use of progressive discipline and if a student’s behavior progresses throughout the discipline process in which the next step is an out of school action; suspension and expulsion can be exercised for insubordination of the Executive Order mandates. On August 11, 2021 a letter from Dr. Carmen Ayala, Illinois State Superintendent, stated specifically: ...As you know, Executive Order 2021-18, which went into effect last Wednesday, requires that all students, staff, and visitors wear masks indoors in all P-12 schools in Illinois. Governor Pritzker took this action after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended it. ...The executive order has the force of law...However, noncompliance is not an option. I will not compromise the health and safety of students or staff, nor will I risk even one child’s life. Local boards of education, schools, and school districts do not have the authority to deny the Governor’s Executive Order requiring universal indoor masking in schools. Doing so not only puts students’ health and safety at risk but also opens the district to extraordinary legal liability – potentially without any insurance to cover damages. I strongly recommend that each district consult with its legal counsel and insurer to fully understand the repercussions. Further, ISBE has and will use its regulatory authority, pursuant to 23 Ill Admin. Code 1.20, to ensure school districts protect students and staff; if school districts fail to do so, this risks State recognition. School districts have a moral and legal obligation to follow public health requirements and guidance to keep their students and staff safe. Therefore, in order to start our year successfully, please remember that your student will be expected to wear a mask at all times (with the exceptions noted in Revised Public Health Guidance for Schools) and to keep your student home if they are feeling ill or presenting any of the symptoms related to COVID. Thank you for your continued patience as we work to provide the best learning opportunities possible for all students this school year. I ask that you respect that there is a mask requirement per the mandate, but celebrate our return to in-person learning for a full school day and week. Sincerely, Lisa A. Gifford Superintendent

about 4 years ago, Randy Goodbred

Join us at one of the four different Townhall meetings that will be held between 7/26/2021-8/2/2021 to capture community input on our Return to Learn plan. These meetings will be a round table discussion where anyone can come and ask questions and seek clarification about the progress on our return to learn plan. The meetings will be held in the MS cafeteria and via Zoom. Townhall meeting dates are: 7/27: 4-5 p.m. 7/27: 5:30-6:30 p.m. 7/29: 1-2 p.m. 8/2: 6-7 p.m. Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/96123599617?pwd=RVNkMkkxQk9IT0lVZG81ZUppbkUzUT09 Meeting ID: 961 2359 9617 Passcode: E80ZCs If unable to attend, please send any questions to lgifford@unit2.net and they will be answered during the meeting.

about 4 years ago, Randy Goodbred

PLEASE SHARE!