District 117 has moved two classrooms to remote learning due to COVID-19 concerns.
In an email communication to parents this morning, Jacksonville School District 117 Superintendent Steve Ptacek gave an update on the COVID-19 cases in the district.
Ptacek confirmed that on Monday, two classrooms at the Early Years building were placed on complete remote instruction based on more than one positive case, and that the district will continue to work with the Morgan County Health Department to determine when the two classes can return to in-person learning.
Ptacek says that as stated at the beginning of the school year, the district has the goal to provide in-person learning as much as possible, and if required, individual classrooms or buildings would be placed on remote instruction instead of closing the entire district.
Ptacek says the district is aware of 4 students with positive tests for COVID-19. These are from Early Years, JMS, JHS, and South, and none of these are school related. There are also 49 students in quarantine, and 36 of those were in close contact at school.
Ptacek says currently there are five staff members isolated with positive tests, while seven other staff members have been quarantined, and only 2 of those quarantines are due to being in close contact at school.
He says the other 5 are quarantined for being in close contact to someone outside of school. The positive staff are from Early Years, JHS, and transportation.
Ptacek says safety measures such as mandating masks, social distancing, having staff move to classrooms at Jacksonville Middle School, among others have helped to substantially reduce the number of students they have needed to quarantine.
Ptacek is thanking students, staff and parents for their help in supporting the mitigation efforts and says the nursing staff has been incredible in their handling of not only direct nursing care, but contact tracing within the district.
He says the combined support efforts of all are contributing to District 117’s ability to remain primarily an in-person learning district.