In order to ensure proper social distancing and the IDPH limitations on gathering sizes, the following procedures will be utilized for when our students will enter Evans, at the beginning of the school day. Please note, due to having 500 in-person learners returning to our building, at the same time, social distancing will only be possible on a minimal level. This distancing could be anywhere between 2 feet to 6 feet of distancing between individuals.

STUDENTS ENTERING OUR BUILDING

Student Drop-Off (Please refer to page 2 of this handout to help you visualize our arrival procedures)

• 1. Due to the increase of individuals dropping students off to school, all cars will need to go to the farthest end of the pick-up/drop-off lane before their students exit their cars!

  2. Our doors open around 8:25am.

  3. These students will enter our building from the south entrance (doors facing our softball field).

  4. We will have one door propped open for students to enter. These students will head to their designated location (more information regarding specific locations can be found in the below information).

Bus Riders

These students will enter our building from the north entrance (doors facing Route 150/Morrissey Drive). Once in the building, signs will be posted to direct students to their specified before school location (more information about this division of students can be found in the below information).

Certification of Students

A critical piece of helping us start our morning is the certification of students before they enter our building! Certifying your student before 8:25am helps us pull accurate records for the beginning of the day. This greatly decreases the amount of students we will need to call down to the office, after morning announcements, to certify.

Please note both administrators and our school nurse are located at the entrances of our building during student arrival. These individuals will be asking students if they have self-certified prior to arriving at school. Students who have not self-certified will be certified by these individuals prior to going to their designated before-school area.

ONCE STUDENTS ARE IN THE BUILDING

Students eating breakfast

These students will eat and stay in the north-side of our cafeteria (closest to our front lobby). Students will sit on marked locations at our white tables.

Students with an instrument

Students with music 1st hour: These students will take their instruments to their designated location (information found below). These students will then bring their instruments to their 1st hour music classes after being dismissed to 1st hour.

Students with music later in the day: These students can take their instruments to their music room first, and they will then head to their designated location (information found below).

6th Graders (Please refer to page 3 of this handout to help your student visualize our arrival procedures)

• • 6A Students: These students will sit in the south side of our cafeteria. Students will sit on our "Land Here" stickers, located at our tables, to be spaced apart from each other.

  • 6B Students: These students will sit in the north side of our cafeteria, at the east-side tables. Students will sit on our "Land Here" stickers, located at our tables, to be spaced apart from each other.

7th Graders (Please refer to page 3 of this handout to help your student visualize our arrival procedures)

• • 7A Students: These students will go to the north side of the east gym location (closest to our large scoreboard). Students will be spaced apart from each other.

  • 7B Students: These students will be divided into two groups.

    1. Students with last names A-K: These students will go to our stage in the cafeteria. Students will be spaced apart from each other.

    2. Students with last names L-Z: These students will go to the north side of the west gym location (closest to our female locker room). Students will be spaced apart from each other.

8th Graders (Please refer to page 3 of this handout to help your student visualize our arrival procedures)

• • 8A Students: These students will be divided into two groups.

    1. Students with last names A-K: These students will go to our fitness room in the gym. Students will be spaced apart from each other.

    2. Students with last names L-Z: These students will go to the south side of the west gym location (closest to our male locker room). Students will be spaced apart from each other.

  • 8B Students: These students will go to the south side of the west gym location (closest to our rock wall). Students will be spaced apart from each other.

Please note the students will stay in these areas until they are dismissed for the school day (more information on this morning dismissal procedure can be found in the "Dismissal (Beginning of the Day)" topic).

Please note Eagle Nation's Associate Principal and Athletic Director, Mrs. Hernandez, has created the following document to communicate all of the updates and information regarding middle school sports and clubs during the 2nd semester! Please continue to check this document, as it is updated regularly!

Furthermore, please note the following information:

• All decisions for IESA participation will be governed by the guidance they have provided schools.

• All non-IESA extra-curricular activities will be governed by the guidance provided by both ISBE and, as appropriate, by the guidance provided through district administration.

One Document, All Schedules

In an effort to decrease the amount of students in our hallways at one time, please note the staggered schedule created for our student body.

Please download it here.

Visitors to Evans

Please note we will continue to be limiting individuals entering our building during this time. What does this mean for you? As much as possible, we will attempt to hold virtual meetings with families.

IEP meetings, family and team meetings, etc. will be offered as virtual meetings, first. Of course, if an in-person meeting is necessary, please talk with the staff member first, so they can reach out to myself or Mrs. Hernandez to ensure the proper distancing and IDPH guidelines can be followed by all.

COVID-19 Certification of Building Visitors

Please note, as we have currently been doing this school year, all visitors to our building will need to be certified in the front office. Mrs. Hernandez, Nurse McCaw, Mrs. Sprouls, Mrs. Cunliffe or myself will work with you.

When, and how often, do families need to self-certify their students?

Please note families will be asked to self-certify their students before the students arrive at school each day. This will be completed through an app the school district has purchased for families.

How do I self-certify my student?

There are two ways you can certify your student:

1. Download the app called UNIT 5 SAFE from the Apple or Google app store. Here is a link to download the APP.

2. You can also use this website to self-certify your student.

What if I forget to self-certify my student?

We will be pulling a daily report, by 8:15am, of students who have not been self-certified that day. Certifying your student before 8:25am helps us pull the most accurate records for the beginning of the day. For any students in which self-certification is not completed, they will need to be screened at school, and verified with families. This means building administration will need to pull students from 1st hour classes. Students will then need a temperature screening completed by building administration or the school nurse. Furthermore, students will need to connect with a family member to certify them via the app immediately! Once we , at the school, can verify the certification has been completed by a family member, the student can then return to his or her class.

How you can help your student!

I am personally asking all families to be mindful of how disruptive it will be for students, staff, and administration to pull your student from 1st hour to certify them! Please help us avoid these situations by ensuring your student is certified each day before arriving to our building! Please note that failure to certify a student multiple times will result in the student moving to remote instruction.

First and foremost, the safety of our staff and students is of the utmost priority, at Evans! With that said, any individuals who are sick should stay home and not report to school! Please note the following information from Unit 5:

General Information

• Self-Certification. All students and staff will be required to self-certify their health. If this is not completed by the individual, he or she will be subject to a temperature and symptoms/exposure check daily (please see the "COVID-19 Daily Self-Certification" topic for more information).

• Masks. Students are required to wear a cloth face mask that covers their mouth and nose throughout the school day unless:

  • They are eating and drinking

  • They are outside where social distancing is greater than six feet.

Please note that major refusals to wear a mask properly will result in the student being sent home.

• PPE Items. Please refer to our "PPE Items" topic for full details regarding items available throughout our building.

Exclusion Protocol

• Exclusion Protocol. Please refer to this exclusion protocol for both students and staff.

• Close Contact. If a student or staff member has been identified as a close contact, please refer to the district's exclusion protocol for specific information.

• Classrooms, Grades, and Buildings. Individual classrooms, grade levels, or buildings may have an interruption of in-person instruction based on Unit 5's metrics.

Notification of a (+) COVID-19 Case

The district will be updating this website daily with a school-by-school breakdown of positive and newly quarantined cases for both students and staff members. Please note, instead of sending a letter home for each positive COVID case, every Friday night the district will send a letter to all families directing them to the District website to view both the daily and weekly numbers for their schools. Those who want the information sooner can go to the website each evening after 9:00 pm for that information.

Please note, Unit 5 will continue to personally notify anyone in the district who is determined to be a close contact of a positive individual.

Family Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if my student becomes ill/displays symptoms at school?

1. Students who are sick and/or displaying symptoms will be isolated in one of our "Health Spaces" (please refer to our "School Nurse Information" topic for more information about this space).

2. The school nurse will call a family member to pick the student up from school. Please note it is extremely important all numbers listed in Infinite Campus are working and correct for contacts!

3. When a family member arrives at Evans, they can call the school and the nurse will walk the student out to the vehicle through our northern most doors. The family member will then sign-out the student.

4. The family member will receive a "Unit 5 protocol letter" which outlines the necessary steps to be completed before the student can return to school.

What happens if my student becomes ill/displays symptoms at home?

1. Keep your student home!

2. Please call and report your student's absence to the school.

3. The school nurse will follow-up with you regarding the absence.

4. The family member will receive a "Unit 5 protocol letter" which outlines the necessary steps to be completed before the student can return to school.

What happens if my student has a chronic condition, i.e. seasonal allergies, asthma, migraines, IBS, etc.?

Please have your physician provide documentation supporting this condition to our school nurse, including a list of your student's common symptoms with this chronic illness. This will allow us to be able to reference this information when evaluating symptoms your student may have in the future while at school. Please note you will need to take the "Unit 5 protocol letter" with you to the appointment!

If my student goes home with symptoms, what about his or her siblings in Unit 5 schools?

Please note all siblings must be sent home when a sibling or parent, who works in the district, is sent home with symptoms. This exclusion will continue until the person who was sent home provides proof of a negative test or a doctor's note documenting an alternative diagnosis.

In-Person Student Numbers

I have run student numbers based on our current in-person enrollment, as of 3/19. Furthermore, I have broken down these numbers into the following categories:

• Grades

• Teams

To access this information, please refer to this document.

Student Schedule Changes

If a teacher needs to "balance" a class based on student numbers, is that possible?

Please note we will be adjusting student schedules if we deem appropriate social distancing is not possible in a classroom. Also, we will be adjusting student schedules if such adjustments would benefit the instruction and opportunity for academic learning of students. If your student's schedule is adjusted for any reason, you will receive an Infinite Campus message from me prior to March 30th. Please note we will not be changing any student's team placement with these changes.

Seating

Another reason I wanted to share specific, factual class roster numbers with all of you (found in the "Class Sizes" topic) is to help you and your student visualize how we can safely space and socially distance the increased number of students within classrooms. Please note these follow-up clarifications regarding further classroom seating questions:

Frequently Asked Questions

What will social distancing look like in my student's classroom with an increase in class size?

ISBE asks for teachers to work to ensure - to the greatest extent possible - students are distanced from each other. Obviously, the increased number of students in our classrooms do not allow for six feet apart due to the square footage of our rooms. However, social distancing efforts to maximize space within our classrooms continue to be completed - and is expected - during this time. As the district has communicated regarding this change, our staff has worked extremely hard to provide 2-5 feet of distance between students.

Will teachers be replacing their tables for desks due to the increase in class size?

Tables do not need to be removed from classrooms. Staff can space the students, the tables, and/or a combination of both to help with maximizing social distancing. By the same token, various types of tables, i.e. folding tables, card tables, will also be spaced out and used within our classrooms, too!

Will teachers be removing bookcases, shelves, and reading "areas" due to the increase in class size?

As long as staff are able to adhere to socially distancing our students and tables/desks to the maximum capacity while also providing a safe path for themselves and students to travel around the classroom, there would be absolutely no need to remove these items!

Will all students have to face the front of the room?

Since August, ISBE indicated a classroom setup around a spaced-out collaborative model was permitted for teachers. This model has allowed students, as long as they are socially distanced and spaced out from each other, to face one another. What I am seeing and hearing from staff members with this type of seating is students are not directly across from one another, but instead, students are being placed "catty-corner"/diagonal from each other to maximize distance from each other.

Will classroom seats/desks be labeled?

Perhaps. This type of seat designation allows for ample "dry time" for any cleaning products used after each class period without disrupting next hour's students (more classroom cleaning information can be found in the "Cleaning Protocols" topic)!

Summary

At the end of the day, a staff member's classroom organization and decoration is - and has always been - vital to creating an environment that is optimal for relationship building and learning. I do not want this to go away for our students or for our staff because of the upcoming change! However, no learning will occur if an individual feels unsafe. Please note these safety guidelines will aide staff in any possible changes for classroom setup.

General Building Cleaning

In Eagle Nation, we are blessed with a wonderful work crew and head custodian, Mr. Pascal. Please note, back in August, Mr. Pascal and I created a cleaning schedule to ensure our building continues to be safe for all within it! The cleaning schedule allows for at least five additional targeted and specific sanitizing and cleaning times during the school day, of high-traffic areas. These times are in addition to the routine cleaning of areas of our building. Furthermore, the schedule includes additional custodial help during the school day to ensure the integrity of the cleaning schedule.

Classroom Cleaning

In addition to the aforementioned information, what are the cleaning procedures for classrooms during the day?

After conversations with staff members, as well as Mr. Pascal, here are the cleaning procedures for our classrooms:

1. If possible, staggered seating by class periods (find more information about this in "Classrooms" topic).

2. Any surface areas touched by students, should be:

   1. Sprayed. Each classroom has a bottle of sanitizing spray.

   2. The chemical should be allowed to sit on the surface for a few minutes. This is where a staggered seating approach would help in-between periods.

   3. Wipe off the surface. Students will be allowed to wipe off the surface, too!

3. Whenever possible, classroom doors will be left open. Our building has great air circulation, i.e. ERU units which mix fresh air into our building. Our classroom doors being left open help to circulate that mix of air.

In order to ensure proper social distancing and the IDPH limitations on gathering sizes, the following procedures will be utilized for when our students are dismissed - beginning at 8:35am - for the beginning of the school day.

Dismissal Procedures (Please refer to page 4 of this handout to help your student visualize our dismissal to 1st hour procedures):

• 8:35am: 6A students in the south end of our cafeteria will be released to their 1st hour class.

• 8:37am: 6B students in the north end of our cafeteria and 7B students on our stage will be released to their 1st hour class.

• 8:39am: 7A students in the north end of our east-section of the gym will be released to their 1st hour class.

• 8:41am: 7B students in the north end of our west-section of the gym will be released to their 1st hour class.

• 8:43am: All 8th graders, in the south side of our gym and Fitness room will be released to their 1st hour class.

Please note students will head directly to their 1st hour class, unless otherwise noted in our student locker use information in the "Lockers and Backpacks" topic.

Student Dismissal Times

In order to ensure proper social distancing and the IDPH limitations on gathering sizes, the following procedures will be utilized for when our students are dismissed for the completion of the school day.

Dismissal Procedures (Please refer to page 5 of this handout to help your student visualize our end of the day dismissal procedures):

• 3:42pm: Students in the J-Pod and H-Pod will be released to either the student pick-up area or bus lane.

• 3:45pm: Students in the E-Pod and S-Pod will be released to either the student pick-up area or bus lane.

Students heading to the "Student Pick-Up" area

Students will head directly to our cafeteria through the J-Pod hallway and the cafeteria entrance by our GTT room. Students will exit only through our south doors (facing the softball field).

Please refer to this visual map regarding our student pick-up procedures! All cars will need to go to the farthest end of the pick-up lane before their students enter their cars!

Students heading to our bus lane

Students will head directly to our bus lane through our main hallway and exit only from the front doors of the building (facing Route 150/Morrissey Road).

Drinking Fountains

Per ISBE and IDPH's guidelines, drinking fountains are turned off within the building.

Water Bottles

Please note the following guidelines:

• Students will be allowed to bring clear, plastic, reusable water bottles with a lid to school - sorry to all of our "VSCO kids!" - wait, is that even a thing anymore!?

• Only clear, unflavored water may be consumed outside of our cafeteria, as this helps avoid messy spills that can attract pests!

• Please note we have a large quantity of donated water bottles for any student in need of one!

Refillable Stations

We now have a water bottle "refill station" installed in the following locations:

• Where the cafeteria drinking fountain is located, between our cafeteria restrooms.

• In our gym, located by the Fitness Room.

Mr. Pascal and I are also working on getting another one of these stations for the drinking fountain in the PE/Music hallway. Ideally, we would get one more for upstairs, too. I will keep you updated on these developments!

Main Hallways

Please note we continue to have all main hallways divided into two lanes of traffic. The flow of these lanes are indicated by arrows on the ground, as well as rope and retractable belt barriers dividing the space.

Pods

For main passing period times, arrows on the ground help indicate the traffic flow of students throughout a Pod. These arrows will not be necessary for individuals going to the restroom during a class period.

Stairs

As we have always done, our two main stairways are reserved for one-way traffic. Signs indicate which stairs "eagles take flight" (up) and "eagles land" (down). Also, to ensure there is no cross-traffic on the stairs, we have closed off the south stairwell (across from the Art room and GTT room) to students, at this time.

Signage

Furthermore, traffic flow, stairway direction, and "exit only" signs are hung throughout the building and above universal doorways throughout the building to help guide all individuals.

Since the beginning of the school year, I have been able to work with the amazing Mrs. Glatt to collaborate with her regarding our IMC plan.

• Students have been taught to reserve IMC books via the OPAC system.

• Students can place books on reserve in OPAC.

• Students will be emailed when the IMC book is available to the student.

• We have a hanging, plexiglass barrier for the IMC's check out station.

• Materials returned by students will be quarantined for the recommended length before re-shelving.

• All classes and Tutorials may schedule 1/2 of a class period for check outs. Two classes may be scheduled per period, but there will be at least 5 minutes in between for cleaning.

• To maximize spacing and ensure the under-50 person/space capacity guideline, students will not be allowed to the IMC on passes. However, as noted above, classes and Tutorials are more than welcome to schedule time to visit the IMC!

• Mrs. Glatt will be hosting virtual "Books and Bites" (should it now be called "Bytes?" See what I did there!?) on Wednesdays throughout the school year for both our in-person students and online learners!

• Please have your student visit our IMC's Google Classroom site for more information!

Locker Use

In both ISBE's and IDPH's transition and learning recommendations, as well as Unit 5's "Return to School" plan, lockers are to be minimally used within a school building. For us at Evans, students will utilize our staggered times for groups of students to place and retrieve coats within their lockers at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day (please see the "Dismissal (Beginning of the Day; End of the Day)" topics). The only exception will be when students need to grab their coats on their way to PE class. Please note the PE staff will be communicating with their students in advance regarding the days they will need a coat. At this time, only coats will be kept in a student's locker.

Backpack Use

In it's "Return to School" document, the district stated "students in grades 6-12 will be allowed to carry backpacks to and from class..." This statement is in conjunction with ISBE's guidance in limiting locker use by students.

Please note the specific expectation regarding a student's responsibility of monitoring items in his or her backpack: student backpacks should be checked prior to a student leaving for school each day to ensure only necessary items are packed for the school day, e.g. laptop, charger, items for specific classes, etc.

Please note the following items are not allowed within a student's backpack:

• Weapons, as defined in the student handbook (p. 37).

• Any items defined within the "Prohibited Student Conduct" section of the student handbook (pp. 33-36).

• Any item(s) which disrupts the learning environment or poses a health threat to others.

Of course, the Administrative team will work hand in hand with you should any issues arise regarding backpacks in your room!

Lunches in Backpacks

Lunches can be carried within a student's backpack during the school day. However, students should not share food or eat their food outside of their designated lunch time! This will help us keep areas appropriately sanitized, as well as avoid attracting pests in our building!

Lunch Locations

In regards to safely spacing our students during lunches, I continue to work with Mr. Pascal, our head custodian, in regards to plausible areas that can be cleaned properly and efficiently, as well as supervised adequately, while still allowing our students to benefit from this time of social interaction with each other. Please note, students will not be eating in their classrooms.

The greatest challenge to welcoming 500+ in-person students back to Evans is finding enough spaces for students to eat lunch while safely being distanced from one another.

Lunch Locations (Please note the specific team locations for our lunch areas can be found on pages 7-9 in this packet):

• Cafeteria. We will continue to divide our cafeteria into multi-space areas to safely maximize its ability to space students. We have a large divider to help us break the cafeteria into two spaces.

  • Student Spacing: To provide enough seating for our increased student population, while also staying within the recommended social distancing parameters, please note we will have students sitting within 3 feet "catty-corner" (diagonal) from one another, at our tables.

• Stage. Furthermore, tables have been placed on the stage to allow students to space out from one another while still being in the cafeteria.

• GTT Area. Similar to our "Books and Bites" setup we have used for many years, we have tables in this area of our building for students to distance themselves during their lunches.

• Front Lobby. Tables are placed on the far west and east walls of the lobby to all for student seating during lunch.

• South Entrance Area (when weather permits). We have picnic tables in this area, located under our overhang. As we have done for years, when weather permits, we will have students eat outside in this area.

• Courtyard (when weather permits). Again, as we have done for years, when weather permits, students will be able to eat outside in this area.

Lunch Logistics

• Junior high students will have the ability to purchase 2nd meals and additional milk cartons. Student IDs are necessary to purchase these options, and students must have a positive balance in their food service account.

• A limited selection of ala carte items will be available to purchase beginning the week of January 19th. Student IDs are necessary to purchase these options, and students must have a positive balance in their food service account.

• Food will continue to be served in grab-and-go containers to start off the 2nd semester.

• Teams will be provided designated areas, i.e. "front lobby and south-side of the cafeteria," where their students will be seated during lunch (Please note the specific team locations for our lunch areas can be found on pages 7-9 in this packet.)

• Each day, students will go immediately to their designated seat prior to being dismissed, by area, to the lunch line.

• Students will be able to choose their own seat during their first week back to four days a week of in-person learning. At the beginning of the second week of four days a week of in-person learning, a seating chart will be documented - for contact tracing purposes - in regards to where the students have chosen to sit.

• Students will be allowed to remove their masks while eating and drinking.

• Lunches can be carried within a student's backpack during the school day. However, students should not share food or eat their food outside of their designated lunch time! This will help us keep areas appropriately sanitized, as well as avoid attracting pests in our building!

• Students will need to have their IDs with them if they plan on going through the lunch line. Please have your student reach out to a staff member if they do not have his or her student ID!

• Students will not be allowed to share food items with each other.

• Each area will have a garbage can for all discarded food and items and a rolling cart for any kitchen items. This will allow students to stay in their designated eating areas, as opposed to traveling to multiple locations during lunch.

• As before, we will continue to provide raffles, trivia, and other events for our students during lunches - even for our online learning students!

• As before, we will still have our monthly "Bird Bin" school store during lunches - even for our online learning students!

Please understand our lunches will undoubtedly run slow, at the beginning of our "Return to the Nest" for so many students! This is okay! We want to ensure positive, safe practices are learned early and often for our students during this time! Please note - no matter what - we will ensure our students have the necessary time to eat their food without penalty!

Please note the following information regarding the wearing of masks from Unit 5's "Return to School" plan:

"If you choose in-person instruction, the following requirements will be in place:

• Wear masks in the school building and on the bus unless outside or eating

  • Refusal to wear a mask in the building will lead to the student being redirected and then sent home if refusal occurs

  • Repeated refusal will lead to the student being placed into 100% remote instruction"

Additional Mask: In addition to this requirement, I would ask for all students to have an additional mask with them each day, while they are in the building. Each team, as well as our school nurse, will have only a few back-up masks for students in need of one, but we will not have enough for all of our students.

Staggered Passing Periods

Please note, in an effort to ensure proper social distancing and the IDPH limitations on gathering sizes, we have created a staggered bell schedule for teams. Please find the bell schedules here.

Restroom Procedures

Due to the staggering of passing periods to limit the number of students in our hallways, students will be allowed to use the restrooms during these transitions.

Hall Passes

Please note it is extremely important for all of us to know when and where students are throughout our building. To this end, we are asking staff to only allow one student, at a time, to leave his or her classroom - if necessary! Furthermore, it is imperative for our students to make sure they are utilizing a classroom's procedure of documenting when he or she leaves and returns to the classroom, and where he or she went during this time. This is extremely important information in the event we need to do contact tracing within our building.

Without a doubt, ensuring the safety of our students and staff is paramount to me. In regards to this topic, please note the following items I have obtained for our building, at the time of this writing:

• Washable or disposable face masks for students who forget to bring one to school.

• Large divider for our cafeteria (as previously mentioned, above).

• A 10' by 10' canopy tent (with add-on or removable sides) for each team and department. These could be used if a team/class wanted to hold instruction or an activity outside - weather permitting.

• Additional tables for spacing at lunch and other purposes.

• "6 feet apart" floor stickers for throughout our building, e.g. office, lunches, IMC, etc.

• Arrow stickers for labeling walking directions throughout our building.

• Multiple spray bottles for every classroom. Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes have also been provided to each classroom.

• Table shields for small group instruction. Please note these would be utilized where small groups are used regularly.

• "Mask Reminder" signs for our external doors.

• "Prevent Germs" and "Wash Hands" reminder signs to be displayed throughout our building and restrooms.

• Water bottle "refill station" stations. More information about these items can be found in the "Drinking Fountain" topic.

Please note that I am continuing to work with staff regarding any items deemed necessary regarding the health and safety of both our students and staff within our classrooms!

Please note, at the time of this writing, per the Regional Office of Education, schools will be conducting their typical school drills. As we begin planning each drill, I will be providing you information regarding the logistics of it.

Nurse McCaw, Mr. Pascal, our head custodian, and myself met in August to discuss safety protocols and logistical items regarding the safety of all individuals within Evans. Furthermore, Nurse McCaw, Mrs. Hernandez, and I continue to meet to go over the most recent documentation from the IDPH, the CDC, and the district regarding COVID safety protocols and procedures.

Health Spaces

To properly provide Nurse McCaw a space that could keep both staff and students safe, we have temporarily created an additional "health space" in our office area for this school year. Nurse McCaw's office for routine student visits is located inside the office door facing the E-Pod. Directly across from this office, we have created a room for any students experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. This room has individual seats, dividers, and other safety precautions. Please refer to page 6 of this handout to help your student visualize where these areas are located in our building.

Here is some additional information regarding our "health space:"

• The two spaces allow for the physical separation of students experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms from other students simply needing daily medication or a health check from Nurse McCaw.

• Any time a student enters into the separated space due to experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms, they will be supervised by either Nurse McCaw or an administrator.

• Washable furniture and plastic barriers have been placed within our "quarantine space" to help ensure safe distancing of students and proper cleaning of the room.

• We have isolated a bathroom near this area to only be used by students with illness symptoms.

Nurse Visits

Although we will be physically separating students without illness symptoms and students with illness symptoms in these new areas, please note we continue to work on implementing strategies to reduce unnecessary visits to the nurse's office this school year; reduce congestion in the nurse's area; reduce exposure to infection; and allow for separation of students.

Transportation Rider Information

Please note the following information provided by First Student:

• Students must scan their student IDs upon entering and exiting the bus. Please reach out to a staff member if your student does not have a student ID!

• Face masks must be worn while riding the bus to and from school.

• All buses will have a seating chart for students. The purpose of assigning seats on the bus is to aide administration in the event of necessary contact tracing.

• Students must stay in their assigned seat to ensure distancing of individuals on the bus.

• Routes will be created with a maximum number of 48 students on each bus.

• Parents should complete the Self-Screener before their children board the bus (please see the "COVID-19 Daily Self-Certification" topic for more information).

• Cleaning and sanitizing of the buses will occur between routes.

Bus Route Information

Bus route information is available on your Infinite Campus Parent Portal . To access this information:

1. Log-in to your parent portal

2. Click on "More" on the left-hand side

3. Click "Transportation" from the drop-down menu in the center of the page.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call 309-557-4287 (4BUS).

As always, your partnership with us is vital to the social and emotional and academic well-being of your student! For any questions, please reach out to your student's teacher, school counselor, the school, or myself!

WE ARE STRONGER BECAUSE WE FLY TOGETHER!