New COVID-19 Guidance Takes Effect At Richards, Shepard And Ike

Lorraine Swanson
·3 min read

OAK LAWN, IL — When CHSD 218 students return to school after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the district will be enacting new COVID-19 isolation and quarantine guidelines at Richards, Shepherd and Eisenhower high schools that have been approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health in Illinois schools

The new CDC-recommended guidelines call for shortening quarantines and isolation periods for students and staff who’ve tested positive or been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, from ten to five days.

Dist. 218 has made available on its website the updated COVID-19 guidance for Richards, Shepherd and Eisenhower high schools that will go into effect Tuesday, Jan. 18. The new 5-day quarantine guidelines are not retroactive, so any student still in quarantine or isolating before Jan. 18, will not be issued new return dates and should return on the date provided to them already.

Also, students in programs that require individualized assistance such as the adult transition program, Foundations, autism/communications, multi-needs and BUILD will continue with 10-day quarantines and isolation.

Positive, probable (those not tested but exhibit COVID-19 symptoms) and symptomatic students may return to school on Day 6 if they meet the following conditions:

  • They are fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications (or had no fever throughout the 5-day isolation)

  • Their symptoms are improved or they have remained asymptomatic

  • They report to the nurse’s office each morning on Days 6-10 for temperature checks

  • They return only for instruction for Days 6-10 (they cannot participate in athletics or activities until Day 11)

  • They are able to wear a mask consistently at all times and are able to maintain appropriate social distance from all staff and all students at all times.

  • They will be assigned a specialized lunch period location until Day 11 and must not eat in the standard lunchroom until Day 11.

  • They go home immediately/stay home if they develop a fever and/or symptoms worsen (return dates will be recalculated).

  • Any students who fail to meet the above criteria each day for Days 6-10 will be returned to quarantine until Day 11.

The same applies to unvaccinated students (and students over 18 years of age who have completed their initial vaccination series but have not received a booster shot) who had a close contact with confirmed or probable cases may return to school on Day 6. Close contacts and those returning to school after

All students returning to school on Day 6 are encouraged to get a PCR test 3-5 days after contact.
Any students returning to school on Day 6 after quarantining also cannot participate in physical education classes or extracurricular activities, such as sports, band, choir, interacting with day care students, or participating in teacher internships at other schools until Day 11. Students must sit out behind-the-wheel driver’s education training as well.

Dist. 218 COVID-19 guidance is available in three languages:

COVID-19 Guidance - English
COVID-19 Guidance - Arabic
COVID-19 Guidance - Spanish

This article originally appeared on the Oak Lawn Patch