JL: We alerted the schools to keep the ventilation going as much as possible, open the windows in the classrooms, take the children outside for recess so that they get fresh air, and perhaps even move outside for some classes where you can distance them by six feet so they can get a little bit of a mask break. Cardinal Blase Cupich announced Monday all schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago plan to reopen in the fall. School Masses will also change, with schools having to follow their parishes’ archdiocesan-approved procedures. Band practice in small, socially distanced groups will be allowed, but not with any wind or brass instruments. According to the document, the safety and well-being of students and staff members is the primary focus, and because the pandemic is unpredictable, it is possible that schools will have to be closed. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Among the factors Chicago Public Schools is weighing when deciding whether to reopen school buildings: the experience of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s 150-plus campuses, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday.. “How do we support our kids, when the school they are coming back to looks very different than the school they left?” said Mickelburgh, who also has two children in the school. Any school reopening needs to be ready for partial or full remote learning to happen at anytime. Our schools very often are smaller, and that allows us to look at being more flexible. So in all cases in Chicago, where we’ve had a case reported in one of our cohorts, there’s only been one situation where a second case was reported within the 14 days of the infection time. Dear Catholic School Parents and Guardians, This morning, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced a change in their planned reopening of school buildings. Justin Lombardo: We started planning months before the school decision needed to be made. CB: The Chicago Teachers Union has said it wants to see a strict protocol for contact tracing if schools should reopen to students. Many parents are most worried about their children wearing masks and social distancing, especially those with young students. CHICAGO (CBS)– The Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools announced plans to reopen in the fall. We then certified the schools that were ready to open. The archdiocese did institute a contact tracing protocol. “And we know that things will look different for students, so we’ll have to help orient them and train them on how to wear masks.”. CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Public Schools will resume in-person learning in January, noting that remote learning instituted in March due to COVID-19 has not well-served many of its students, officials announced Tuesday. But by and large, after the first couple of days, they breathed a sigh of relief, and were glad to be back in the classroom with the students. The school will keep a closer watch on any symptoms within the student’s or teacher’s cohort. That is a very, very fine showing. They will be asked to register at and pay tuition to their regular school, but their children will receive instruction through an archdiocese-wide virtual school, Rigg said. Chicago Public Schools has only had 108 days of in-school instruction this year because it also had a 11-day strike in October. Erika Mickelburgh, principal at St. Paul of the Cross in Park Ridge, said she’s confident that her faculty and staff will be able to handle the safety protocols and any academic gaps students have after six months out of the school building. More Chicago-area Catholic schools have delayed the start of in-person classes because of positive cases of COVID-19 in their communities, as teachers at other private schools … When someone in a Catholic school does test positive for COVID-19, Rigg said the school community will be notified. “I worry about the faith piece just because of Mass,” Cinnamon said. JL: We have a team made up of people that have experience in doing interviewing and investigative work, as well as two nurses. School Reopening Plan . Students are not to share school supplies, and any equipment that must be shared — for example, computers in a fixed lab — must be disinfected between students. In early July, the Archdiocese of Chicago released Reopening with Trust: A Planning Framework for the 2020/21 School Year. “Even though the guidelines are 30 pages, it’s a lot of nuance. CB: But again, you’re not able to share what your number of cases has been or the number of quarantines that you had? The plan, available at schools.archchicago.org/curriculum-and-resources/school-reopening-plan, calls for all teachers and students 3 years old and older to wear masks and stay in homeroom-based cohorts most of the day. So the vast majority of our teachers showed up, took the job very responsibly, and have been heroes to us in their diligence and their dedication. Jim Rigg, the superintendent of Catholic schools, said the archdiocese is holding video training sessions now for principals and their academic and health and safety teams. CB: Are you able to tell me what percentage of your students are learning remotely? Pre-kindergarten and students enrolled in intensive and moderate cluster classrooms will begin in-person learning on Jan. 11, 2021. Schools are supposed to be in session 180 days. The person must follow the guidelines for the Centers of Disease Control before returning at least 14 days later. At least nothing that we’ve analyzed yet that I’m aware of. Staff will also make sure students are wearing their masks properly and see that students wash or sanitize their hands. At the end of the school day, parents waiting to pick up their children will no longer be allowed to congregate at the school door or gate. Essential education reporting in Chicago, Sign up for the We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. These children are together for the whole day. “They know we’re going to do everything to keep their children safe. The White House won't allow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield to testify at a House Committee on Education and Labor hearing on safely reopening schools … The State of Illinois imposed new mitigation measures that went into effect on Friday, November 20 at 12:01 am. As for extracurricular sports, Rigg said, the archdiocese is waiting for guidance from the Illinois Elementary School Association. Students or staff who have a family member at home who tests positive also are expected to quarantine at home for at least 14 days. “The biggest concern is coming from preschool parents,” said McKenna Corrigan, principal of St. Ann School, 2211 W. 18th Place. JL: We had input from different teachers representing different teacher populations, different schools. It could be that there is a parent or child who has risk factors that would make COVID-19 especially dangerous for them, Rigg said. While going to the gym is permissible, students would have to keep masks on, so vigorous activity might not be the best idea, Rigg said. The plan was … In a pandemic, there is no place where you are 100% safe. She’s been working with a parent who is a nurse for a few weeks already to figure out how to do temperature checks, for example. The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Catholic Schools released its plan for schools to reopen in the fall and provided requirements to help keep students safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Curriculum Standards . And so we’re really comprehensive. What safety measures were put in place ahead of the return of students to school buildings? We attempted, if at all possible, to see if there was a way to employ them for distance learning for those schools that had large enough e-learning numbers to warrant additional teachers. In the meantime, she’s planning a virtual coffee hour for parents and making appointments with those who want to meet face-to-face, outside the school door if need be. It begins with a report coming in to our central team, which reacts by immediately contacting the principal to get more details. After reopening last week, at least one school – St. Alexander – was forced to suspend in-person instruction until September 8 due to COVID-19. We’re investigating the options. JL: We offered every school and the parents in every school the chance of coming back for in-person learning, or we had available options for distance learning for the children. CB: Have you heard ongoing concerns or anxiety from your teachers more recently as the school year has progressed? Students will have their temperatures taken and be asked about any possible COVID-19 symptoms every day when they enter the building. CHICAGO — The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Catholic Schools unveiled plans to safely reopen school buildings in the fall. Overwhelmingly, our teachers returned to the classroom. Having gym outside — with no masks but 6 feet between students — is a possibility, weather permitting. That might mean having to stagger the daily start time. The mayor, who oversees public schools in Chicago and appoints the schools chief and board, is expected to make the final call about reopening campuses along with city health … McKenna Corrigan, principal at St. Ann School in Pilsen, reconfigures classroom space for students to maintain social distance July 20, 2020. JL: No, not really. JL: I don’t have the exact number, but I can tell you that our positivity rate, which is a key rate, is less than 1%. CB: How did the archdiocese go about preparing for the reopening? Everybody in our daily lives now unfortunately is accepting a level of risk.If we’re safe, if we follow the guidelines, if we wash our hands, wear our masks, maintain social distance, then we’ve mitigated the risk as best we can. The same children stay together every day for their classes. How much input did you solicit from your teachers to make the decision, and what was the response? Thursday, August 6, 2020 CHICAGO (WLS) -- After Chicago Public Schools announced they would be starting the year fully remote, some parents, looking to … How did you address those issues? Cinnamon said she is assuring families who want to consider virtual learning that they will still be part of the Pope John XXIII community. CHICAGO - July 10, 2020 - The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Catholic Schools today released its plans to safely reopen school buildings in the fall. newsletter, Kiannah Sepeda-Miller, Better Government Association, Sign up for the The Catholic identity piece is really important.”. Catholic schools begin planning for reopening in fall. JL: We put together a plan that set out guidelines on everything from taking temperatures when students come in the morning, to the setup of classrooms to socially distance students, to how recess should be handled, to what to do if a child shows up in the morning and seems unwell. In the days after the Office of Catholic Schools released its reopening plan, principals across the Archdiocese of Chicago fielded questions and worked to figure out exactly what the plan would look like in their individual schools. Crusaders are called to show love for one another by maintaining distance.”. La alcaldesa envió un correo electrónico refiriéndose a un “tipo muy bueno”. Also, our schools are part of a larger physical plant that our parishes run. CB: Are you able to share how many cases you have had across your schools, and how many times your students have had to quarantine as a result? Catholic Schools Ready to Follow ‘Blueprint’ to Safely Reopen Next Month BACK TO SCHOOL—Signs are pointing to a September reopening for Catholic schools in the archdiocese, says Michael Deegan, superintendent of schools. CB: What are some ways in which your situation was different from that of Chicago Public Schools? If a second person in the cohort tests positive, it’s likely that their whole cohort will be quarantined at home for 14 days. We did have a few teachers that said for whatever personal reasons that they did not want to do in-person learning. We’ve had situations where there are sport leagues for students that are not run by the archdiocese or by our schools, where the precautions may not have been taken as completely as they should have been. Early Childhood Excellence Checklist ; Catholic High Schools . … Our tagline is, ‘A family celebrating faith.’ This is my family. Chalkbeat Chicago spoke with Justin Lombardo, the Archdiocese’s chief human resources officer and the point person on reopening schools, about the experience of Catholic campuses so far and the insights it might hold for other school systems. Early Childhood Education . by: WGN Web Desk, Marcella Raymond. We, of course, maintain privacy, and we never identify the individual. We have many cases where the family or the parents or older siblings went to a party where social distancing was not observed, where masking was not done. And we can do a full open, five days a week, with kids and teachers. To make that work, Rigg said, schools can collect cohorts outdoors and bring them in one at a time, using different doors for different cohorts if possible. “They trust us,” she said. In all candor, if a school for the first time has to quarantine a child or a staff member or a cohort, immediately that does create for everybody an initial sort of, “Oh, here we go,” kind of thing. And that’s led to really very, very good outcomes for us. Students who show any symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to stay home and get tested, and if the symptoms appear when they are at school, they will be sent home and asked to get tested. “We have space to spread out. Catholic High School Admission Information ; Inclusive Education . Corrigan said she also sees her school’s lower enrollment as an advantage. We have a standard procedure for notifying the families of students that are in a quarantined cohort, about what to do and where to go. We can iron those out.”. In the days after the Office of Catholic Schools released its reopening plan, principals across the Archdiocese of Chicago fielded questions and worked to figure out exactly what the plan would look like in their individual schools. A critical part of our plan is the notion of the cohort, which you see in a lot of the literature about reopening schools. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. “How do we do that? During the day, each cohort of students will likely spend a lot more time in its own classroom, with special-subject teachers coming to them instead of the class traveling to other rooms, Rigg said. Kathy Berry, principal of St. Symphorosa School, 6125 S. Austin Ave., said she’s keeping a list of questions from parents to find the answers to. CHICAGO — The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Catholic Schools unveiled plans to safely reopen school buildings in the fall. Student Records . Molly Cinnamon, principal at Pope John XXIII in Evanston, said she spent the weekend after the plan was announced answering questions and responding to emails. That’s a powerful sentiment because these parents are part of our worship community. The office is also offering “starter packs” for schools with everything they need to get the building ready, and negotiated for discounts on cleaning and disinfecting supplies for schools. What they’re most worried about, she said, is the social and emotional effects children are dealing with. This plan is designed to help schools and parents successfully and safely reopen our school buildings to students this fall. We submitted our plans to our consulting physicians and to the departments of health, and there was a recognition that we were different than, for example, the Chicago Public Schools. It’s not a, ‘We’re not doing it.’ It’s a, ‘What will it be like?’ We’ll figure it out together. I would say the overwhelming numbers of positive cases we get in our schools come from familial contacts of transmissions or transmissions in group settings outside of the school. We’ll have some hiccups. But the archdiocese has not released publicly the number of COVID-19 cases in its schools, the number of times they have quarantined students and employees, or even what percentage of students’ families opted for remote learning. The experience with distance learning in the spring should help students stay connected to school during longer absences, principals said, but it will be more difficult for schools that haven’t had the resources to offer, say, a Chromebook for every child in the past. CHICAGO - July 10, 2020 - The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Catholic Schools today released its plans to safely reopen school buildings in the fall. Las escuelas de Chicago necesitaban computadoras. Schools are set to reopen in the fall, but with restrictions — including face masks. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic), Working behind a safety partition on July 15, 2020, administrative assistant Bridget Fletcher makes preparations for the safe return of students to St. Paul of the Cross School in Park Ridge in the upcoming months. CB: What is the size of those cohorts at your schools? CB: Officials in Chicago Public Schools have said school ventilation systems and classroom air quality are issues that need to be looked at before in-person instruction resumes. Or is it a presumptive positive (a case when a patient tests positive by a public health laboratory, but results have not been confirmed by the CDC)? Corrigan said what was the teacher parking lot will likely be used as outdoor classroom space this year, also weather permitting. Archdiocese of Chicago releases 2020-21 school reopening plan Coronavirus. Now, it would be disingenuous to say that there was not some concern, some hesitancy on the part of some. (Note: Some Catholic school teachers have expressed concern and demanded remote learning.). Crusaders are called to lead by encouraging everyone to be safe. Over 85% of our parents told us they wanted us to do everything we could to bring the kids back to the classroom. CB: You mentioned doing a parent survey. “We can’t possibly cover everything in a plan like this,” Rigg said. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrations for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe were cancelled at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines. Is it a positive case? Is there something about their locations and demographics that might explain why they’re outliers? Cardinal Blase Cupich speaking to students at St. Genevieve Catholic School, 4854 W. Montana, in January. She also noted the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has approximately 20,000 students attending in school in person, along with 2,700 teachers … Elementary Schools ; High Schools ; Archdiocesan Scholarships . Now, we have 40,000-some students and 5,000 staff in our schools, and in the city of Chicago alone, we have 91 schools with a population of 19,000 students, plus another 2,700 staff. Parents speaking Tuesday agreed health and … JL: First and foremost, it’s size and flexibility. CB: Did all schools that are part of the archdiocese reopen for full-time in-person instruction? We knew we needed to factor in views from different constituencies and public health guidelines as well as our mission and our commitment to our students and their families across the archdiocese. “It could be that they’re just worried,” Rigg said. JL: Cohorts go anywhere from usually 15 to maybe 23. The Vatican's doctrinal office said that when alternative vaccines are not available, it is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines developed or tested using cell lines originating from aborted fetuses. But usually, that’s quelled, because everybody’s working so consistently to make sure that people are notified and that we continue to be safe and clean. That’s pretty good. The plan was developed in consultation with public health, civic and educational authorities. Extra furniture is to be removed. “What’s most important is that the people in the school understand the basic principles about masks, about distance, about handwashing.”. JL: Not anything that seemed to rise to the level of a significant spike. Pope John XXIII has about 200 students, with classes from 12 to 18 students. JL: I don’t have that number because it varies from some schools where there are very, very few to some schools where the numbers are much larger. The Archdiocese of Chicago reopened its schools for full-time in-person instruction in August, giving families the option to choose remote learning. IMPORTANT CHICAGO REOPENING NOTICE. Reopening will be unstable. “We need to be deliberate in how we plan for those safe spaces,” Mickelburgh said. The Reopening with Trust: A Planning Framework for the 2020/21 School Year is available in English, Spanish and a Polish-version is forthcoming. We invited two board-certified physicians in infectious diseases, who are faculty members at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern and practicing physicians as well as parents of school-age kids, to become our advisors. The group would put tags on giving trees in the church with specific names and needs for parishioners to take home and purchase items to donate. “Maybe it’s something they want to revisit at the end of the trimester,” she said. Thursday, August 20, 2020 CHICAGO (WLS) -- Some teachers and parents want the Chicago Archdiocese to change their school reopening plans, which currently involve in-person classes. newsletter, With nearly 300 NYC school buildings shuttered due to COVID, de Blasio promises to staff up ‘situation room’, Philadelphia schools due for more than $400 million from COVID-19 relief, 8 Indiana education stories to watch in 2021, NYC education issues to follow during Albany’s new legislative session, What stories we’ll be watching on the state education beat in 2021, Across U.S., states see public school enrollment dip as virus disrupts education, Chicago plans to reopen schools, close budget gap with $720 million in anticipated stimulus funds, Chicago cluster educators — the first to return when schools reopen — want more details. The Archdiocese of Chicago on Friday announced its plan to reopen schools in the fall, allowing students to return to classrooms for in-person instruction. Under pressure to make a decision soon about whether to reopen Chicago school buildings in the second quarter, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said that the city is looking closely at the experience of Catholic schools. Those lessons will have to be virtual. suntimes.com - Letters to the Editor. I’m encouraged that we can be a model for other schools if we just take it slow and think about it.”. Test Scores and Performance Data . Catholic dioceses are moving toward reopening their schools amid the coronavirus, with some adhering to state and federal health guidelines but … Their size is obviously much larger than ours. CB: Did you see a higher-than-usual number of teacher retirements or other departures? How ‘successful’ really are Chicago’s Catholic schools in reopening during the pandemic? The Archdiocese of Chicago reopened its schools for full-time in-person instruction in August, giving families the option to choose remote learning. Posted: Jul 10, 2020 / 10:01 AM CDT / Updated: Jul 10, 2020 / 05:42 PM CDT. I am truly curious about … To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Tax Credit Scholarships . Keeping them safe — it’s just magnified so much.”. Instead, Mickelburgh will send out information ahead of time, and schedule orientation sessions for returning students to help them get used to new ways of doing things and to give them time to process the changes. | Sun-Times file photo. We also trace within our parishes because we believe it’s part of our responsibility as a large organization. Classroom desk and tables are to be spaced as far apart as possible, and arranged so that all students face the front of the classroom. JL: No, I think we have not. Students at many schools will likely eat lunch in their classrooms as well, Rigg said, as no more than 50 students can be in the cafeteria at a time and they have to be 6 feet apart because they cannot wear masks while eating. “It’s just a lot of questions,” she said. “I’ve been in education for 12 years, and kids are incredibly resilient and they will adjust as long as they see adults modeling it in a positive, fun, encouraging way.”. And many, many, many were excited to do that. Some schools put in air filters, and we’re setting up a system so that if schools need those, we absolutely will help provide them. Because of the risk of spreading the virus, students should not sing in music class and any choir or drama programs should be held virtually, Rigg said. The school in suburban Elk Grove Village was one of many Catholic schools opening Monday for the first time since schools in Illinois shut down in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Patch • July 10, 2020. If they have a negative test, they can return to school when the symptoms subside. The only time students and teachers can remove their masks is while they eat and when they are outside, but when masks are removed, they must stay at least six feet from one another. So that gives us the flexibility to look at additional spaces to use — perhaps different outdoor spaces, even indoor spaces, in church halls or in church basements. Click here to view all up-to-date Phase IV Capacity Guidelines. “We’re going to be providing our teachers and staff members with intensified training ahead of the start of the year,” Rigg said. They don’t split off and go to different rooms.