State of Illinois Adopts New CDC
COVID-19 Guidelines For K-12 Schools and Early Education
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[August 17, 2022]
With new guidance from the CDC that addresses
the need to keep students in classrooms while protecting residents
from COVID-19, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and
Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are adopting new
operational guidance for schools and early education from the CDC
that eases some restrictions while maintaining a core set of
infectious disease prevention strategies as part of their normal
operations. The new guidelines drop the requirement for quarantines
and ease physical distancing rules.
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Schools are still encouraged to follow the CDC’s new
operational guidance on best practices for all infectious diseases
and to keep students home if they are ill, and to use testing to
confirm or rule out COVID-19 and other infections. Schools must also
continue to provide remote learning to any student who is under
isolation for COVID-19 based on the State Superintendent’s Remote
Learning Declaration.
“Current conditions of the pandemic are very different from those of
the last two years, with many available tools to protect the general
public, including widespread availability of vaccines for everyone 6
months and older. On top of that, we’ve always prioritized hospital
capacity, and hospitals are not facing the kind of strain we saw
during earlier COVID-19 waves,” said IDPH Director Sameer Vohra. “We
want all Illinois residents to continue to remain safe and use all
available tools to protect themselves and their families from
acquiring COVID-19. Vaccination continues to be the single strongest
tool in our toolbox to contain the virus and protect people from the
most serious outcomes. It is never too late to get up to date.”
“This updated guidance from the CDC acknowledges the importance of
in-person learning by allowing schools to more aptly adjust to
changes within their own communities,” said State Superintendent of
Education Carmen Ayala. “Administrators can have more flexibility to
be able to make the necessary adjustments they need to maintain
consistent in-person learning.”
The new CDC guidance notes that although COVID-19 continues to
circulate, the risk of severe illness has been reduced due to high
levels of vaccinations and infection-induced immunity, along with
the widespread availability of effective treatments and prevention
tools. This allows the CDC to minimize public health interventions
and reduce barriers to social and educational activities. However,
it remains critically important for those at risk of severe health
outcomes to be aware of their risk and to take steps to fully
protect themselves with vaccines and booster shots and other
protective measures.
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The new CDC guidance build on the framework for
monitoring the community level of COVID-19 released in February that
looks at data for hospitalizations, hospital capacity, and cases.
The approach focuses on minimizing severe disease, limiting strain
on the healthcare system, and enabling those at highest risk to
protect themselves against infection and severe disease.
The updated CDC guidance for schools continues to
recommend strategies for everyday operations that prevent the spread
COVID-19 and other infectious disease. The following strategies
should be in place in at all Community Levels:
• Promote staying up to date with all routine vaccinations
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• Implement policies that encourage students and staff to stay home
when sick
• Optimize ventilation systems
• Reinforce proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette
• Utilize proper cleaning and disinfection procedures
The CDC school guidance continues to recommend universal masking
when community levels are high and screening testing for high-risk
activities (e.g., close contact sports or band) or during key times
in the year (e.g., prom or return from breaks). Monitoring community
levels can help schools and local health departments, as well as
individuals, make decisions based on their local context and their
unique needs.
Schools, with help from local health departments, should consider
local context when selecting strategies to prioritize for
implementation. Schools should balance risk of COVID-19 with
educational, social, and mental health outcomes when deciding which
prevention strategies to put in place.
For more information on the new CDC guidelines for K-12 schools and
early care education, click
HERE.
[Illinois Office of Communication and
Information] |