Students in District 117 are being asked to stay the course during the last two weeks of the school year.
Superintendent Steve Ptacek released a communication late Thursday following the CDC’s announcement of relaxed guidelines on facial coverings for those who are fully vaccinated.
Ptacek says at this time, the district has not received any guidance update from the Illinois Department of Public Health or the Illinois State Board of Education. Ptacek says the district’s mask policy has been vitally important in keeping schools open this entire year and will remain in place.
He says even if they do receive a change in guidance in the next few days, creating an effective system to monitor who has been vaccinated and who has not will most likely not be able to be developed and implemented by the end of the school year.
Ptacek says he has made the recommendation to the School Board that District 117 should “stay the course” and continue with current COVID procedures through the remainder of the school year.
He says “we have made it this far; two more weeks is easy.” Ptacek says anyone attending the JHS graduation will still be required to wear a facial covering, and that policy remains non-nonnegotiable.