IDPH Changes in Guidance
Good afternoon West Central Families,
IDPH has communicated some updated guidance for schools. There are three that are most worthy to note. While we understand that the CDC has also made some additional changes, IDPH has not adopted all of them. In Illinois, we must adhere to the guidance of IDPH and our local health department. After consulting with the Henderson County Health Department, West Central will be making the following changes beginning Monday, March 1:
1) IDPH has removed some symptoms (nausea, abdominal pain, and runny nose) from the list of those requiring individuals to quarantine. We will be making that change on our certification forms. If you have old paper certification forms at home, please continue to use them until you receive updated copies.
2) IDPH no longer recommends conducting symptom screenings at school; however, they do still recommend it be done at home prior to coming to school. As a result, on Monday, March 1, we will no longer be conducting temperature checks upon arrival to school. Per IDPH guidelines, our symptom-free certification process will remain in place. Parents should continue to conduct this symptom check at home and certify their child(ren) is symptom free via Skyward or paper form (bus riders) by 7:30 a.m. each morning.
3) If an individual is fully vaccinated (2 weeks after receiving the 2nd dose), he/she is no longer required to quarantine if determined to be a close contact to a COVID positive individual for three months after receiving the 2nd dose as long as that individual remains asymptomatic. At this time, this essentially only impacts our staff.
We will continue to watch for additional changes in guidance and make adjustments as needed. Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your building principal or myself.
Have a great weekend!
Paula Markey
