Guidelines for Illinois Schools Released

On Tuesday, Governor Pritzker announced guidelines for Illinois schools to follow in planning for in-person learning this Fall. We wanted to share the general nature of these guidelines with you so that you can also plan with confidence for the reopening of our school building on August 19, 2020.

In general, the guidelines state that appropriate social distancing, face coverings, enhanced sanitation measures, and other accommodations will be necessary to ensure the safety of students, staff, and their families in schools this Fall.

According to the Governor’s communication, IDPH guidelines for schools will:

• Require the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including face coverings;
• Prohibit more than 50 individuals from gathering in one space;
• Require social distancing be observed, as much as possible;
• Require that schools conduct symptom screenings and temperature checks or require that individuals self-certify that they are free of symptoms before entering school buildings; and
• Require an increase in school-wide cleaning and disinfection.

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It is important to note that all public and nonpublic schools in Illinois serving Prekindergarten through 12th-grade students must follow these guidelines.
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The St. Mary school staff have been hard at work making plans to resume in-person learning in our building in August. We are grateful to receive these guidelines so that we can continue making plans with certainty.

We will be providing more details on specific steps that St. Mary School will be taking to ensure that we adhere to the requirements outlined above, while also maintaining a commitment to the mission and spirit of St. Mary School. We will be sending those on to you in the coming days.

Since the start of this pandemic, our approach has been to accept every challenge laid before us with grace and trust in God and to persevere with optimism and joy. We ask for your continued prayers and support as we work to bring our St. Mary School family back together under one roof in August.

May God bless you and your families with a happy and healthy summer!