Health & Safety Protocols

COVID-19 symptoms include: 

• Fever of 100.4 or higher 

• New onset of moderate to severe headache

• Shortness of breath

• New cough 

• Sore throat

• Vomiting, diarrhea 

• New loss of taste or smell

• Fatigue from unknown cause 

• Muscle/body aches from unknown cause

Masks are not required in school buildings and school buses; individuals can choose to wear a mask based on their personal situation or comfort level.

There are exceptions: 

• Masks are required in school health offices.

• A person who tests positive and returns on day 6 must wear a mask on days 6-10; if not, they must continue to isolate for 10 days (returning on day 11).

Athletes follow the home school’s masking policies and follow required Illinois Elementary School Association requirements. 

The District will reduce crowding as much as possible when the region’s transmission level is designated as high. 

Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations is the leading public health strategy to prevent severe disease. Vaccination is not required, but District 34 encourages staff and students to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, and will share information about opportunities in the community to do so.  

District 34 offers the following testing opportunities:

Rapid Antigen Tests: The Illinois Department of Public Health is providing a limited supply of rapid antigen tests to public schools. These tests will be used to minimize the time students are away from the classroom. To facilitate a quick return to class for symptomatic students, the District encourages parents to opt into rapid antigen testing through PowerSchool.  

Ravinia Health Test Kits: Schools also will have Ravinia Health PCR test kits available for anyone who wishes to test at any time (students, staff and family members). There is no need to opt in; you simply complete the following waivers: 

• Consent & Waiver Registration Form (Patient only needs to register on this link ONCE)
• Consent Form for Repeat Testing (Patient is required to fill out this form each and every time they test)

You also will register for access to the results dashboard. Then, you will: 

• Take the test following these instructions for a nasal swab

• Fill out the card that comes with the kit and bring the bag to the collection bin in your school by the end of the day

• Ravinia will pick up tests every Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Typically, test results come back in approximately 48 hours after pickup, but the window can vary. The District has access to the results and will report positive cases to the CCDPH.

The District also will share information with families and staff about local COVID-19 testing opportunities, including:

• Primary Care Providers: Contact your primary care provider.

• Cook County Health: Free testing for adults and children age 6 months and older. Call 312-864-2749 to register for a test
.

• IDPH Community Sites: COVID-19 testing is covered for all uninsured Illinois residents regardless of citizenship and immigration status through these free community-based testing sites.

• Pharmacies, such as CVS and Walgreens: Walgreens offers free, contactless COVID-19 testing for patients ages 3 and up at select locations. Use the map on their website to find testing near you.

Local, state and federal health agencies no longer recommend universal case investigation and contact tracing for COVID-19. District 34 will not be compiling a COVID-19 Dashboard for the 2022-2023 school year. We will continue to report known positive cases of staff and students in our schools to the Cook County Department of Public Health. Schools also will send notification to families via email of positive student cases in classrooms (PK-2) and grade levels (3-8). 

Vaccination rates and COVID-19 data for the Village of Glenview can be found on the CCDPH website (select “Data by Town” from the top navigation bar).

Lunch schedules and lunchroom setup will return to pre-pandemic configurations. 

The District offers opportunities for rapid testing to allow students and staff to remain in school with a negative result (see below). Students and staff will be excluded from the in-person school environment if they:

1. Test positive for COVID-19, or 

2. Have new COVID-19 symptoms that are not from a known condition and refuse to receive a rapid test administered by a school nurse on site or by self-administration to rule out COVID-19.  

Every symptomatic person is recommended to test or be evaluated by their healthcare provider. It is possible to have COVID-19 and other health conditions at the same time. Early diagnosis can prevent further transmission.

In order to maximize in-person learning, the District encourages families to opt their children in for rapid symptomatic testing. Students and staff who, at school, develop new symptoms from no known existing condition can take a rapid antigen test in the school health office. If the test is negative for COVID-19, the person can immediately return to the classroom/work (unless the symptoms include fever, vomiting or diarrhea, in which case they cannot return until those symptoms have been resolved for 24 hours without the use of medication). 

When a student shows new symptoms at school and is not opted in to rapid antigen testing, the nurse will call the parent or guardian to request permission to test. Alternatively, families can provide a negative test (rapid antigen or PCR) administered at home or other location outside of school for the child to return to school. 

If a test comes back positive, the isolation date starts from the beginning of symptoms. 

Students and staff who test positive, or who have new symptoms that are not related to an existing condition must complete a five-day isolation, and can return to school on day six, if they wear a mask on days 6-10. If no masks are worn, the isolation period is 10 days (return on day 11). Symptomatic individuals will need to have improvement in symptoms (i.e. fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication; vomiting and diarrhea will need to be resolved for over 24 hours); this procedure is consistent with pre-COVID District health guidelines for any illness. To return to school, connect with your building nurse to receive individualized instruction.

All schools have a registered nurse, and two health locations:

• The Health Office for daily medications & typical health activities (attendance in PK-5 buildings)
• An infirmary to isolate individuals with symptoms of a contagious disease

The District also has two District nurses to support building health needs.

When students are not in school due to COVID-19, grade center teachers (GCTs) at each level (K-2, 3-5 and 6-8) will provide remote instruction and/or other support. In addition, the GCTs will work with classroom teachers to ensure students receive grade-appropriate, independent work. One-way Zoom classroom instruction will be provided for students in grades 6-8 (Zoom instruction is not available with substitute teachers).

It may take up to 24 hours to begin remote learning for a student out due to COVID-19.   

All students will receive instruction and frequent reminders in proper hygiene. Signs throughout all buildings will reinforce and remind staff and students about hygiene. 

• Hands should be washed often with soap and water for 20 seconds. 

• Perform hand hygiene:

  • Upon arrival to and departure from school

  • After blowing one’s nose, coughing, sneezing

  • After use of restroom

  • Before food preparation or before or after eating

  • Before and after routine care for another person

  • After contact with someone who is sick

  • Upon return from the playground and physical education

  • Following glove removal

• Dispensers for hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) will be available in every room and in common areas

• More time will be provided for hand washing as students enter and exit the room and before and after eating

District 34 has agreements with transportation providers Alltown and Safeway to follow safety and health protocols to protect students and drivers while traveling to and from school: 

• Masks are optional on school buses. If a student does not have a mask and wishes to wear one, the driver will provide one.

• Hand sanitizer will be available on all buses.

• Additional cleaning will occur on buses daily in commonly touched areas.

• If a child appears to be ill when boarding the bus, the driver will inform the parent that the child should not board and to take the child home. Parents should contact the school office for further assistance. 

• Transportation providers  will have a designated seat for a child that displays symptoms after boarding the bus while enroute to school or home. Providers will contact the school/district to inform them of the child and the symptoms they have. 

Buses/Vans will run their regular routes as mapped by the District 34 Transportation Manager.

District 34 custodial staff follow these cleaning and sanitizing procedures: 

• Clean and disinfect hard surfaces once a day using EPA reg. 10324-141 approved disinfectants that kill coronavirus (exceptions include tablets, touch screens, keyboards and other electronic devices)

• Clean bathrooms, including sinks, handles and door hardware

• Wipe down drinking fountain handles and clean fountains 

• Be provided with extra HEPA filters for backpack vacuums and receive training to replace them per manufacturer recommendations

• Use backpack vacuum bags only once 

Teachers and other support staff in classrooms will be responsible for disinfection of surfaces in classrooms throughout the day as needed. Each classroom is equipped with disinfectant wipes approved by the EPA against COVID-19 and a spray bottle of pre-diluted disinfectant.

The ventilation system circulates 50% outside air in five air exchanges per hour. The filters used are:

• MERV 13 filters on rooftop units
• MERV 8 filters in classroom units