Highland Park High School Cafeteria issued the following announcement on Feb 28.
The updated CDC order for transportation means that masks are not required on school buses or in school vans. In District 113, this change will take effect tomorrow, Monday, February 28, 2022.
Masks Optional, SHIELD Testing Optional for All Students
Following CDC’s announcement, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) issued an email Friday night stating that masks are optional in all Illinois schools effective Monday, February 28. ISBE also said in its email that Illinois schools should follow CDC guidance, which affects mandatory SHIELD testing for students in District 113.
Accordingly, I am pleased to announce the following changes effective Monday, February 28.
Per ISBE’s February 25 email stating that masks are optional in all Illinois schools, masks are optional in District 113 schools and facilities effective Monday, February 28.
Following the February 25 ISBE email and per the CDC guidance for prevention steps when the COVID-19 community level is low, as it currently is in Lake County, SHIELD testing is optional for all students regardless of vaccination status and is no longer a required for any student to participate in extracurricular activities or athletics effective Monday, February 28.
As the CDC says, people may choose to mask at any time. The CDC also says that people with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask. Please respect others’ mask choices.
SHIELD testing will continue to be available on a voluntary basis for students who have consent on file. We may adjust the testing center hours in the weeks ahead to align with demand. Any changes will be communicated in advance through the Principals’ newsletters.
The number of COVID-19 cases in District 113 has dropped significantly since the peak during the omicron surge following winter break. We will continue to monitor cases within our schools and update our dashboard with that information. As we have done since the beginning, we are in consultation with the Lake County Health Department.
Please stay home if you are sick.
It has been an incredibly long and difficult two years. Thank you for all that you have done to help keep our community safe and to support in-person learning.
Original source can be found here.
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