Dear District 76 Families,
Based on the rapidly evolving situation of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and recommendations from public health officials to limit public gatherings, District 76 is closing all school buildings to students the week of March 16, 2020. More communication will follow as to when schools will reopen. In addition, all activities and events at the buildings are canceled through spring break.
Spring Break will run as scheduled March 20-March 29. We also know many families may have scheduled upcoming trips during this time. If your family is planning on taking a trip to a Level 2 or Level 3 country https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/, we ask that you please contact your school’s principal to communicate your plans. For the safety of everyone, we request that you please adhere to the CDC’s guidance related to travel https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html. To view an interactive map that shows current global travel advisory levels, please visit the following Department of State website https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/.
We will have a Staff Institute Day on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 to develop Distance Learning Plans for our students and more communication will follow. All students in Grades 3rd-8th will be bringing home their electronic devices today in the event that Distance Learning is needed.
Thank you in advance for your support as we implement what is best for our students and staff during this unprecedented time. We understand this may cause challenges for some families, however we believe this is in the best interest for our school community at this time. We will consult with our local health officials over spring break to evaluate when it is safe for our students and staff to return to our facilities. We will continue sending out regular updates as needed.
As always, the safety and well-being of our students and staff, remain our top priority. Thank you for your continued help in assisting with this process.
Bhavna Sharma-Lewis, Ph.D
Superintendent of Schools