Why Isn't D-205 Fully Reopened Like Others?

ELMHURST, IL — Parents in Elmhurst School District 205 often ask why the district has yet to fully reopen when they say other public and private schools have already done so.

At Tuesday's school board meeting, member Jim Collins directed that inquiry to district officials.

"All of these other districts that are private or public in our vicinity of a 10- to 20-minute drive are opening full time. What are they doing? Are they less conservative? How are they doing it?" he asked.

Assistant Superintendent Kevin Rubenstein said the other districts are not less conservative, but using different standards for analyzing coronavirus data. District 205, he said, has been "overly transparent" in reporting its information.

"There is not a standard right now for reporting any of this data publicly," he said. "We are reporting every positive COVID case that is given to us. There are schools in the area where they are only reporting cases that are transmitted within their schools. There are schools saying they are open five days a week. They are open three hours a day. There is no standard for reporting any of this."

But Collins said no "huge calamities" have been reported in the other schools.

Rubenstein responded, "Nor have there been huge calamities, huge outbreaks in our schools."

He said when people hear about the challenges of reopening schools in the news, the reports are not about those such as Elmhurst that have partially reopened.

"They're talking about schools that are not open at all," Rubenstein said. "My own school district where I live in Gurnee has not reopened at all for in-person instruction. They have not educated one student in person this year at all. They do not plan to do so until after spring break. When we hear about reopening schools on TV, that's what people are talking about."