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Naperville, Indian Prairie schools to stick with in-person classes amid COVID-19 spike

Naperville Sun - 1/5/2022

Jan. 5—Despite the record number of COVID-19 cases being reported in the Naperville area, officials for both local school districts say there is no plan to switch to remote learning.

In-person classes at Naperville District 203 will resume Thursday and at Indian Prairie District 204 on Monday, Jan. 10, following the winter break.

"We have seen the positive impact our return to in-person learning has had on students both academically and social-emotionally," Indian Prairie Superintendent Adrian Talley said Wednesday in a letter to the community. "We want to continue this work in the safest way possible."

Naperville District 203 Superintendent Dan Bridges said in his public letter that they are following the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education on COVID-19 protocols.

Currently, the CDC and the state health department recommend school districts follow a 10-day isolation/quarantine procedure for students who test positive for the virus, five days longer than what's recommended for all others.

Bridges said an update from the state board of education on its recommendations is expected soon.

District 203 plans to continue sending out close contact and low-risk exposure notifications to families as needed, he said.

Parents also still have the option of having their children participate in weekly COVID-19 SHIELD testing, Bridges said.

In his public message, Talley said Indian Prairie will use remote learning only at schools where the number of positive COVID cases is very high.

"As I have shared with parents who have asked for the district to move to remote learning, that is an option that the state has not made available to us at this time," he said.

The district will monitor its schools and transportation providers and update families if situations arise, Talley said.

He also used his message to urge people to get vaccinations and booster shots, citing DuPage County Health Department data that shows an unvaccinated person was 10 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 and 20 times more likely to to die from it than someone who has received the full complement of shots.

"I continue to recommend that everyone get vaccinated and boosted to protect yourself and others," he said.

Both superintendents reminded parents to monitor their children for COVID-19 symptoms and not send them to school if they exhibit any signs that they could be infected.

Naperville Unit Education Association President Dan Iverson said he will paying close attention to how many teachers call in sick Thursday. The teachers union represents about 1,500 teachers in District 203.

"If we're in line with other districts, we may have a problem," Iverson said. "This continues to be such a crazy thing. Every time you think you have solid footing, something crazier happens. We'll see."

Iverson urged anyone interested in substitute teaching to consider applying for work in the district. Earlier this year, D203 approved pay increases and incentives to attract and retain substitute teachers.

"The message to the community (is) we need subs. If people in the community can step up that would be really helpful," he said.

DuPage and Will counties are both listed by the CDC as having high COVID-19 community transmission levels.

The CDC's COVID data tracker shows DuPage County had 10,298 new cases in the week ending Jan. 2, with a 20.34% positivity rate. Will reported 7,514 new cases the same time period, with a 21.87% positivity rate. The 7-day case counts and positivity rates are record highs for both counties, according to the data tracker.

DuPage and Will have full vaccination rates of 78% and 67% respectively among residents who are 5 years old or older, CDC data shows.

raguerrero@tribpub.com

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