D230 details covid-19 notification protocol; reports 10 known positive cases of students
Three students who have been on campus have tested positive and there are seven known cases of students who have not been on campus. Zero known staff cases.
There have been 10 students in Consolidated High School District 230 to have tested positive for covid-19, and the district has sent notification to individuals potentially impacted, according to Director of Communications Carla Erdey.
Three of the cases are students who have been on campus for a school-related activity and seven of the known cases are students “who have not been on campus at all,” Erdey said in an email.
No staff members have tested positive for covid-19 since their return to campus on Aug. 12 for Institute Day, Erdey said. District teachers are required to teach from the classroom, and students are currently learning remotely. The district expects to move into the 25% in-person stage of its reopening plan on Sept. 21.
Consolidated High School District 230 administrative building | Photo by Orland Blueprint
Erdey said the district has followed the Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines for notification of positive covid-19 cases. The guidelines entail notifying:
the Cook County Department of Public Health
the person who tested positive regarding IDPH quarantine guidance
people who had close contact with the person who tested positive for covid-19, which is defined as being within six feet for more than 15 minutes
those who did not have close contact with the person who tested positive but were in the same physical class/workspace or activity. Those without close contact can return to campus once the space has been sanitized
District 230 is following IDPH’s covid-19 Exclusion Guidance, Erdey said, which outlines the symptoms that would require schools to send a person home or deny entry.
Sandburg, Andrew and Stagg High Schools each have a registered school nurse on staff, Erdey said. That staff member follows the IDPH guidelines, which includes an isolation area for anyone showing covid-19 signs, the communications director added.
Prior to arriving for work each day, staff members must certify they are not exhibiting covid-19 symptoms, Erdey said. Once students return, they will follow the same procedure, as well as visitors, she added.
The district will consult with the Cook County Department of Public Health regarding positive cases and will follow the department’s direction regarding potential closures, Erdey said.