Health & Safety Protocols

Students and staff will be sent home if they have any of the following symptoms:

• 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

The District strongly recommends connection with a healthcare provider.

Return to School

When a student or staff present COVID-19 symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, they must immediately be excluded from school until: 

• Receiving a negative antigen* test result that confirms the symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19; or 

• For a minimum of five days and a maximum of 10 days until fever free without fever reducing medication for 24 hours, diarrhea/vomiting have ceased for 24 hours, and other symptoms have improved. Individuals must continue to wear a mask around others for five more days after returning to school.

* As of March 28, 2022: A negative at-home rapid antigen test, such as BinaxNOW, is an acceptable test to return. Those who develop symptoms at school and have opted into SHIELD testing can take a rapid BinaxNOW antigen test in the school health office. Ravinia Health PCR test kits are also available for staff and students in the front office. 

The individual cannot return to school until results are available. If the test comes back positive, the isolation date starts from the beginning of symptoms. 

Students in grades 3-8 who are home due to a positive case will be able to Zoom into their classroom for instruction (with the continued stipulation that it could take 24 hours before they are set up on Zoom). Students home with COVID in our primary buildings will work with grade center teachers during their long term absence. 

Effective Monday, February 28, masks are recommended but not required for all students, staff and visitors in District 34 buildings, with some exceptions when masks are required. 

Masks will continue to be required in the following settings: 

• Physical therapist, occupational therapist, social workers, psychologists, speech pathologists, and other staff members who provide what are called "related services" must wear masks when working with students.

• The federal requirement to wear a mask in healthcare settings per OSHA (29 CFR Part 1910 Subpart U) means that masks must be worn in the infirmary and health office. (Masks will be available at the entrance to the infirmaries and health offices.) 

• When a person who tests positive 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).

Masks are optional on school buses starting Monday, February 28.

Each school building has a sufficient supply of surgical masks for students and staff who need them. IN addition, KN95 masks are available for staff and students upon request.

Schools will maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance whenever possible; and 6 feet distancing at lunch for grades 1-5. Those returning from a positive case must maintain 6 feet distance at lunch on days 6-10 after return. 

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is encouraged but not required for District staff (with exemptions for medical and religious reasons and objections of conscience). The District also encourages, but will not require substitute teachers and volunteers working in the classroom setting to provide proof of vaccination.

The District asks parents of students who are vaccinated to complete the form in PowerSchool to provide proof of vaccination. District 34 requests that families of eligible students who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 provide proof of vaccination. There is no need to submit paperwork; simply log into PowerSchool and enter the dates your child received both doses of the vaccine; and for those eligible for a booster, you can log back into PowerSchool to add info from your child's booster dose. The District will verify this information through the state's I-CARE system.

The District will partner with vaccination providers to offer convenient vaccination clinics for eligible students, parents and staff members.

This District will continue to report positive cases of staff and students in our schools to the Cook County Department of Public Health, but will no longer conduct detailed contact tracing, as that is the responsibility of CCDPH.  

Unvaccinated individuals who are close contacts will be encouraged, but not required, to quarantine for five days as long as they are without symptoms. Anyone exposed is encouraged to test five days after exposure. If your child is exposed, you can take advantage of the Ravinia Health PCR test kits available from the front office. 

Schools will maximize physical distance as much as possible for students moving through the food service line and while eating. Distancing is expected to be 3' (though the definition of a close contact when masks are not worn is 6'). Plastic dividers will not be used. 

Those returning from a positive case must also maintain 6’ distance at lunch on days 6-10 after return. 

When necessary, schools will use additional spaces outside of the cafeteria for mealtime seating such as the gymnasium, multipurpose room or classroom to help facilitate distancing. Students, teachers, and staff who are fully vaccinated do not need to distance while eating.

Lunch hours will continue to be scheduled to allow for greater distancing within the cafeteria provided that seats can provide at least three feet apart. Grade level may need to continue splitting students into two groups to allow for distancing. 

Given very low risk of transmission from surfaces and shared objects, there is no need to limit food service approaches to single use items and packaged meals.

Surfaces that come in contact with food should be washed, rinsed and sanitized before and after meals.

Food service staff will wash hands before, after, and during shifts. Teachers and staff will promote student hand washing before and after eating.

STUDENT: COVID 19 positive cases  must isolate and remain home from school for five days; they can return to school on Day 6. The date of symptom onset or, if asymptomatic, the date of the positive test, is Day 0.

STAFF: COVID 19 positive cases must isolate and may return to the building after 5 days if improvement in symptoms, fever free for over 24 hours without fever-reducing medication. 

Unvaccinated individuals who are close contacts will be encouraged, but not required, to quarantine for five days as long as they are without symptoms. Anyone exposed is encouraged to test five days after exposure. If your child is exposed, you can take advantage of the Ravinia Health PCR test kits available from the front office. 

Students and staff do not have to quarantine after travel (domestic or international). They should get tested 3-5 days after returning from travel (this can include the SHIELD screening test).

From the Illinois Department of Public Health:

In general, Illinois continues to recommend that people follow the CDC’s recommendations  for domestic and international travel, including that people should delay domestic travel, and not travel internationally, until they are fully vaccinated.

Additionally, the CDC’s guidance for schools is that in-person learning is a priority. Thus, school-aged children who are not fully vaccinated and must travel do not need to stay home and self-quarantine after travel; they should continue to attend school in- person. School-aged children who are not fully vaccinated and must travel should get tested 3-5 days after travel, monitor for symptoms, and follow the IDPH guidance for if they test positive or if symptoms of COVID-19 develop.

Schools should follow local guidance for travel restriction that may be more stringent.

*Masks must be worn in health offices and infirmaries.

All buildings have a registered nurse. The nurse maintains two locations in the building

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

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

The federal requirement to wear a mask in healthcare settings per OSHA (29 CFR Part 1910 Subpart U) means that masks must be worn in the infirmary and health office. (Masks will be available at the entrance to the infirmaries and health offices.)