Dear Families,
I want to give you a brief update regarding our district health statistics and mitigations around COVID-19. Below is a list of our COVID-19 case statistics to-date since our return to school in August, 2021.
- Total positive COVID-19 cases to-date since August, 2021 (staff and students) - 89
- Total individuals identified as a close contact at school (not including siblings of cases) - 43
- Total students enrolled in OGS Test-to-Stay program - 410 (45% of total enrollment at OGS)
- Total students participating in Weekly Screening program - 136 (15% of total enrollment at OGS)
- No documented case to-date of COVID-19 transmission at school from a positive case to a close contact
If you have any questions regarding these numbers, please reach out to me or to one of our nurses directly, who can provide you with answers.
Superintendents across the state met virtually this past Friday with Dr. Ezike, Director of IDPH, and State Superintendent, Carmen Ayala. Their messaging was clear -- school districts must do all they can to keep children in school (for in-person learning) when it is deemed safe. We know from the past couple of years that academic and social-emotional learning loss is significant when students are not in school. However, districts must work collaboratively with their local health department to continually review COVID-19 case data to determine if it is necessary to take an "adaptive pause" across a grade level(s) or entire school. As I've shared before, OGS nurses and administration work closely with our health department to contact trace and determine whether our cases warrant a need to pause for remote learning for a period of time. At this time, our data does not suggest this. The State Board of Education provides legal parameters for when remote learning is an option for students. Our current situation does not fall into these parameters.
With that said, we take this disease a day and a week at a time and will be prepared to make adjustments if it is ever deemed necessary. I know this information can be unsettling for some. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any school or district administrator if you have a particular concern related to your child(ren) and how best to manage a situation.
I have received a few questions regarding the childhood vaccines and want to share the following CDC website link to provide you with any information that may be helpful: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/children-teens.html. Our administration encourages parents to follow up with their family health providers to make these personal decisions around the vaccine.
I will continue to keep you all updated on this topic.
Allison Sherman
Superintendent,
Oak Grove SD 68
