Community Consolidated School District 89 will require masks for all students to start the 2021-22 school year. At a meeting held Monday evening, the Board of Education voted that masks will be required for all students regardless of vaccination status, which follows the guidelines released by the CDC last week.
All students will be required to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth to begin the school year. If a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to children younger than 12 or the CDC issues revised guidance, the district will revisit whether masks would still be required for all students.
Wearing masks reduces the risk of spread within the school and is recommended by the CDC, Illinois Department of Public Health, and the DuPage County Health Department. During the 2020-21 school year, when masks were required, CCSD 89 had no outbreaks or closures due to COVID-19 spread within school buildings. Masking will also reduce the number of students who need to be quarantined when there is a positive case in school and the length of time students need to be quarantined.
CCSD 89 staff will work with any students who feel anxious due to wearing a mask or need accommodations to be able to participate in speech or other therapies.
Masks also required for all students on buses
The Illinois Department of Public Health and State Board of Education requires all students (vaccinated and unvaccinated) to wear a mask when they are on a bus. Masks will be optional for all vaccinated and unvaccinated students when they are outside and socially distanced.
All CCSD 89 schools will be open for full-day in-person learning five days a week. Remote learning will only be available to students who have certification from their physician that they require a medical exemption. Staff will not be teaching in-person and remote students simultaneously.
Parents will need to continue checking for COVID-19 symptoms prior to sending their students to school. Students should stay home when they have COVID-19 symptoms.
The district will continue to have increased air circulation and enhanced cleaning during the 2021-22 school year, as well as following other federal and state health guidelines.
The district will soon be sharing more detailed information about plans for the school year, including information on recess, lunch, and entering/exiting school.
