Plainfield SD202 Students To Return Full Time, Wear Masks In Fall

PLAINFIELD, IL — Students in the Plainfield School District 202 will return to class full time in the fall and will be required to wear face masks. The decision was discussed at Monday night's Board of Education meeting, and officials said they "fully expect" the plan to change based on current health guidelines.

Currently, remote learning won't be offered as a choice to parents.

Remote learning will still be offered, but on a limited basis. Based on guidelines from the Illinois State Board of Education, the district is required to provide remote learning for students in quarantine, those who aren't eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and students who were exposed to the virus or diagnosed with COVID-19. The district said it can't otherwise provide remote learning.

As of June, masks are still required in school, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials. The district said this isn't set in stone if a change is made in the future by one of the organizations.

Going forward, the district also said students who are fully vaccinated won't have to quarantine if directly exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus unless they're experiencing symptoms. Schools can administer coronavirus tests with the consent of students' parents or guardians.

The district said local departments, including the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education, have provided limited guidance for the upcoming school year. Officials said they anticipate more information in July.

"We cannot stress enough that this information is based on current state health and school guidance, which we fully expect to change, hopefully soon," Tom Hernandez, the district's director of community relations, said in an email. "Nothing has been decided. We only wanted to let the Board know where things stand right now."

The district follows COVID-19 guidelines from multiple sources, including IDPH, ISBE and the Will and Kendall County Health Departments. For sports, the district looks to the Illinois High School Association.

The school day will vary by grade but follow regular hours and include a lunch period. Elementary schools will run from 9:05 a.m. to 3:40 p.m., and middle school hours will be 7:55 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. High school will be in session from 7:05 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.

More details about the 2021-22 school year for District 202 can be found on its website.