The following message was sent to all CCSD21 families through ParentSquare, the district’s notification tool. Parents that did not receive this message should contact their school’s main office to ensure their contact information is up to date.

At its special meeting on March 4, the Board of Education approved a plan to increase in-person instructional time for in-person students. No changes will occur at this time for students currently enrolled in the Distance Learning Academy.

As a result of the Board’s action:

• In-person students in kindergarten and 1st grade will return to school for full days, five days per week, beginning Monday, March 29. On Monday, March 29, in-person students in grades 2-5 will be fully remote as their younger counterparts acclimate to a full day of school. All in-person students in grades K-5 will participate in a full day of in-person instruction on Tuesday, March 30, and school days moving forward.
• In-person students in 6th-8th grade will return to school for full days on a rotating basis: two full days at school one week, three full days at school the following week. This rotation will begin on Monday, March 15; specific directions and rotation schedule will be shared by each middle school principal.

Our mitigation efforts are critical to ensuring a safe in-person environment for students and staff. As such:

• Distance between students in the classroom will be maximized to the greatest extent possible. Where 6-foot distancing can’t be maintained, additional mitigation efforts will be implemented, like removing additional furniture from the room, installing plexiglass shields at each student desk/workspace, or relocating to a larger space, if available.
• Students will eat lunch in large school spaces, like the multi-purpose room and/or gym to the greatest extent possible. It is possible in some schools that some students may have lunch in their classrooms, but that will be minimized to the greatest extent possible. All spaces used for lunch will be sanitized between each lunch period. Grab and go breakfast will be sent home with students in the afternoon to be consumed the following morning.
• Capacity of buses will be limited to 50 total passengers. All windows will be opened to maintain ventilation.

Weekly COVID testing
Weekly COVID testing will be conducted for in-person students and staff. More information about the SHIELD Illinois saliva test can be found here. A consent form and additional details will be distributed to parents of in-person students later today with a completion deadline for the consent form of Friday, March 12. Testing of in-person students will begin on Tuesday, March 16.

A virtual parent information night about SHIELD testing will be held Monday, March 8, at 7:00 PM. The virtual parent session will begin with a livestream replay of Deerfield 109’s SHIELD Testing Town Hall. Individuals who are interested in joining the parent night but would prefer to watch the Deerfield 109 Town Hall on their own time can instead join the CCSD21 Zoom at approximately 7:50 PM. Individuals can submit questions about SHIELD testing at any time during the parent night through Zoom’s Q&A feature.

• CCSD21 Zoom webinar: https://ccsd21.zoom.us/j/86427981902
• iPhone one-tap : +13126266799,,86427981902#
• Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 with webinar ID: 864 2798 1902

Transfer requests
On Monday, March 8, information will be sent to all families regarding the transfer request process. Families will be able to submit a request to move their child from the Distance Learning Academy to the in-person setting, or from the in-person setting to the Distance Learning Academy. The district is unable to guarantee that transfer requests will be approved.

Community COVID testing
As a reminder in support of our mitigation efforts, any individual in our community can also participate in weekly, no-cost COVID-19 testing at CCSD21 through NorthShore Labs. Find more information and make an appointment here.

We understand families will have questions as we transition to this new structure. Please review our regularly-updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document and submit questions to [email protected]. Thank you for your continued support as we navigate this year together.