Bradley Elementary School District #61 is asking parents to commit to a trimester by July 16th for the upcoming school year, through November 10th.
Bradley’s request comes the same day LAUSD Superintendant Austin Beutner announced students in the Los Angeles-San Diego region would not hold in-person classes this fall, but rather online-only next month. The area is the second-largest school district in the nation, serving nearly 700,000 students.
“BSD61 understands that some families may prefer a remote learning environment and will prepare for this, in addition to returning to remote learning instruction in the event of a resurgence of the virus,” the school district said in a letter to parents this afternoon. “Therefore, BSD61 will adhere to any applicable public health orders through the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the local health department while providing in-person remote learning to the greatest extent possible.”
Plans will be presented to the Board of Education on July 16th after the school district has idneitified the number of students planning to attend school this fall.
The school reports learning options will be available for in-person learning, remote learning for students with ‘extenuating circumstances or medical conditions’ and in the event of an emergency closure.
By definition, a pandemic would fall under extenuating circumstances. The school district did not elaborate to their meaning of the term.
For those attending any in-person learning, Bradley Elementary School District #61 will require face masks as regulated by the State of Illinois, along with the following:
- Social Distancing observation
- No more than 50 individuals per one space
- Temperature checks and screenings
- Essential visitors only allowed in the building
- Hand sanitizer throughout the building
- Closure of drinking fountains
- Elimination of shared technology, supplies and materials when possible
- Increased school wide cleaning and disinfection
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As a reminder to area parents, over 230 scientists across the globe have pleaded with the WHO to issue an alert making it known COVID-19 is airborne. The WHO has yet to define that, but did say last week the pandemic ‘might be spread in the air’.
Most masks under the current Illinois mandate would not protect a child from an airborne contagion. To protect against such an airborne disease, a child would need to be fitted for an N95 respirator mask, which blocks up to 95% of all airborne particles. The masks are not recommended for use by the general public due to the required special fitting needs.
On Monday, IDPH reported 883 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois.
