Dear District 300 Parents/Guardians,Students, Community,
On Friday, March 20th, Governor Pritzker issued an executive order requiring residents to “stay at home” effective Saturday, March 21 at 5:00 pm, through the end of April 7. As part of the Governor’s order, he announced that school will remain closed, with a new tentative reopening date of April 8. We recognize that this development may raise questions about the impact on students, staff, and families as well as the school’s vital role of providing meals to students and families while schools are closed. We anticipate further guidance and details from the Illinois State Board of Education this week. I have updated the Frequently Asked Questions page on our website which you can find here.
During this stay at home order, essential school personnel may still report to work as long as they are practicing social distancing. We want you to know the governor’s office has assured school districts that school personnel involved in providing meals will not be in violation of the governor’s executive order and that we can, and should, continue with our program, which has had a tremendous impact in making sure our students are not going hungry while school is closed.
In addition, the governor has made it clear that, while he’s serious about using social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19, he wants residents to still be able to work, shop at grocery stores, put gas in their cars, take walks outside and get medication from the pharmacy. Rest assured, we are committed to doing our best to provide meals and deliver continuity of education.
Our teachers and principals are working on a plan to provide additional educational materials later this week. You can expect more information on this soon.
Please use this opportunity to focus on staying safe and helping to slow the spread of the virus. If you feel sick, please stay home. If you feel you may have symptoms of the virus, please call your healthcare provider before showing up. Marshall Browning Urgent Care can be reached at 542-1050. Southern Illinois Healthcare has a 24-hour COVID-19 hotline at 844-988-7800 to take calls from individuals concerned about potential illness or exposure, but they request that you please call your primary care physician before contacting the hotline.
As always, thank you for your patience and support as we all work through this situation. As you have seen, this situation is evolving rapidly. As events unfold, we will continue to communicate in a timely manner.