Masks are optional/recommended in D103.  We will continue with mitigation protocols including cleaning/sanitizing, quality ventilation, onsite testing, and others. Please note that the move to mask optional/recommended could change based on the ruling of pending litigation or other guidance from federal, state, or local authorities. As we move to this new phase, please reinforce with your children to treat each other with kindness and respect for the choices each family makes. Thank you for continuing to work with us during this transition. For more about our protocols, please review the D103 COVID Mitigation Plan.

Contact Tracing and Quarantine
Per federal and state health guidelines, vaccinated students do not need to quarantine following COVID-19 exposure unless they contract COVID. If your child is 5 years old or older and is vaccinated, please email a copy of the record to the child's school nurse. If we do not receive a copy of the vaccination card, your child will be quarantined if he/she is identified as close contact. Again, this guidance may change and we will keep you informed of any changes.

Students who are quarantined due to having contracted COVID or are a close contact will receive remote learning during the quarantine period only. Specific information regarding the format of remote learning will be provided at a later date.

Optional weekly COVID-19 testing
To help keep our schools as safe as possible, we will be implementing optional weekly COVID testing for unvaccinated staff and students. Staff and students will be able to take home a simple nose/cheek swap kit on Mondays and return the swab on Tuesdays. Test results will be emailed to parents. If the test is positive, information on the next steps will be sent to each family. 

• Watch the brief videos in Google Docs for instructions on using the PCR testing.
• Watch the brief videos on our D103 YouTube channel for instructions on using the PCR testing

How the PCR Testing Works
Your child will arrive home on Monday with a plastic bag containing a swab and a vial. Please administer the PCR test to your child by either swabbing their mouth or nose. Directions for administering the test to your child can be found in the short informational videos below:

• PCR Test - Mouth Swab
• PCR Test - Nasal Swab

On Tuesday, your child will return to school with the test kit and place it in a bin near the nurse’s office. You will receive an email from Zenix Labs with your child’s test results regardless of whether they are positive or negative. If the test is positive, you will also receive a follow-up email from covidhotline@d103.org, a text, and an automated phone call from 847-295-4030 with additional information. 

Student Academic Needs
The District plans to continue full-time, in-person instruction beginning the fall of 2021. Additional instructional personnel has been added to staffing to implement further academic recovery efforts in core curriculum areas.

Remote Learning
Quarantine or isolated students will be provided access to their full instructional day of instruction through the use of their personal iPad, provided by the district, and zoom. Students who receive intervention or special education services will continue to receive those services through zoom. Student materials will be sent home or uploaded into Seesaw or Google Classroom.

Student Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs
The counseling staff is available to address the social and emotional learning needs of our students.

Student Health and Food Services
Covid Health Clerk positions have been added to ensure that consistent proper protocols are followed for the health and safety of all students. The clerks ensure students are provided with health services and food services when necessary.