“At the July 13 Board of Education meeting, the Board discussed COVID-19 protocols for the 2021-22 school year. Barrington 220 will implement a full five day/week return to in-person learning for all students. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recently adopted the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidance for schools as it relates to mask requirements and social distancing. Key takeaways include:
- Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated.
- At least 3 feet of physical distance is recommended between students within classrooms, but not if this would be a barrier to in-person learning.
With these recommendations in mind, D220 administrators presented the Board with four options regarding masks for the 2021-22 school year. Those options included:
- Universal masking for all students and staff
- Masking for non-vaccinated students and staff
- Phased masking
- Masks optional for all students and staff
While it is recommended by the CDC and IDPH that unvaccinated students wear masks in school, the Board decided that students in grades 6-12 will not be required to do so. In addition, ALL students in grades PK-12 will not be required to wear masks outdoors.
The Board requested that district leaders develop a plan for students and staff that is based on mitigation efforts and public health data. The plan will recommend an approach that phases out masks when students in grades PK-5 are indoors. The Board will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, July 21 to review this plan. The meeting will be held at 6:30pm in the Barrington High School auditorium. Board policy 2:230 requires those speaking during public comment to identify themselves by first and last name and limit comments to three minutes. It is important to note that the district is making decisions based on current public health data and that these decisions are subject to change based on community spread.
Barrington 220 encourages all families to review the recommendations set forth by the CDC and IDPH. The district will continue implementing mitigation measures such as cleaning and disinfecting of school buildings, proper ventilation in all buildings, encouraging people who are sick to stay home, encouraging proper hygiene and maintaining social distance. ”
If you wish to watch last night’s four hour meeting, the video can be found here,