Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education met Feb. 23.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The second regular meeting of the month of February of the Board of Education of Community Unit School District 200, DuPage County, Illinois, was called to order at the Hubble Middle School, 3S600 Herrick Rd, Warrenville, IL by Board President Chris Crabtree at 7:00 PM. The meeting included a business meeting and a Committee of the Whole discussion.
ROLL CALL
Upon the roll being called, the following were present:
Board Members: Mrs. Chris Crabtree
Mr. Rob Hanlon
Mr. Dave Long
Mrs. Angela Blatner
Mrs. Susan Booton
Mr. Brad Paulsen
Dr. Mary Yeboah
Also in Attendance: Dr. Jeff Schuler, Superintendent
Dr. Charlie Kyle
Mrs. Erica Loiacono
Mrs. Melissa Murphy
Dr. Brian O’Keeffe
Dr. Chris Silagi
Mr. Jason Spencer
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Board Member Paulsen led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance.
MODIFICATIONS TO THE AGENDA
None
PUBLIC COMMENTS – Agenda Items & Non-Agenda Items
In accordance with Board Policy 2.230, members of the public wishing to offer public comment had the opportunity to do so. A public comment sign-up sheet was made available until 7:00 p.m. at the meeting site. The Board Meeting was available for viewing via live-stream on the District’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/communityunitschooldistrict200.
Per Board Policy, the Board may shorten the time allocation for each person to less than three minutes to allow the maximum number of people the opportunity to speak. The Board did not shorten the time allocation for each person to speak due to the number of speakers.
Speaker Topic
Andrew Yu Masking/Plan Development
Jennifer Yu Planning for Next Variant
Alicia O’Connell Policy 4:182
Sarah C. Masks/Children with Disabilities Shannon Limjuco Focused Protection
ACTION ITEMS
Update to COVID-19 Mitigation Plan
At the February 9th Board of Education Meeting, administrators provided a District 200 Covid-19 Data Update as a part of the Superintendent’s Report. This followed the Emergency Board of Education Meeting on February 6th where several universal mitigations including required face coverings and quarantine were temporarily suspended. Following the data update on February 9th, Board of Education Members affirmed the request to bring forward a plan for the continued path forward. The presentation that outlines both the key metrics that the District recommends be monitored and the suggested steps moving forward based on the current data was attached to the Board agenda. This presentation was reviewed with the Citizens’ Advisory Committee at their meeting on Wednesday, Feb 16 and was brought forward to the Board of Education for consideration at this meeting. Dr. Schuler reviewed a “COVID-19 and the District 200 Learning Experience Planning for the Road Ahead” PowerPoint, which included information on the following:
∙ Meeting Objectives
∙ Two Tiers of Layered COVID-19 Mitigations in District 200
o Universal Mitigations
o Targeted Mitigations
∙ Universal COVID-19 Mitigations that Are Not Visible in Daily School Operations
o Nightly ionization of air in all classroom spaces
o MERV-13 filters in all univents, changed at regular intervals
o Increased air changes (calibrated to room occupation and use of space)
o Investigation & targeted mitigation protocol
∙ Universal COVID-19 Mitigations that Are Visible in Daily School Operations
o School exclusion/isolation protocol for students who are COVID positive or sick
o Six-foot distancing at lunch (optional at HS)
o Assigned seats on buses for contact tracing purposes
o Optional COVID testing through SHIELD
o Masks required on buses and other District transportation
o Contact tracing and family notification for in-school close contacts
o Test to stay option for in-school close contacts
o Emailed principal letters for classroom cases (EC and Elementary)
∙ Removed/Suspended Universal COVID-19 Mitigations
o Adjusted based on updated guidance:
▪ Six feet of distancing in classrooms (removed 4/12/21)
▪ Shortened length of isolation/quarantine (1/8/22)
o Removed based on evaluation of the TRO:
▪ Required quarantine for close contacts (suspended 2/7/22)
▪ Required universal masking (suspended 2/7/22)
▪ Test to stay requirement for in-school close contacts (suspended 2/7/22)
∙ Targeted COVID-19 Mitigations (*applied to individual spaces as need is indicated by data; on a continuum from less to more intrusive; are utilized for a finite period of time)
o Desks turned facing the same direction
o Increased spacing
o Utilizing the ionizer more than once a day
o HVAC utilization (thermostat, uninvent), air change, & filtration checks
o Humidification
o Testing cycle option for students in a common space who are not close contacts
o High-quality masks provided to those who want them
∙ The Landscape of COVID-19 Continues to Change
∙ January & February – Key Differences in Factors from 2021 to 2022
o High-quality masks for individual protection (went from scarce to widely available)
o Vaccination for the general population (went from none to widely available for age 5 and up)
o Evidence-based therapeutics (went from none to six authorized by the FDA)
o Prevailing variant (went from original wild-type to Omicron)
∙ DuPage County Health Department Partnership
o Recognition that school districts should consider a multitude of indicators when making decisions about mitigations:
▪ Level of COVID cases identified in students or staff within a school
▪ COVID vaccination coverage in the community
▪ The strain on the health system
▪ Use of testing program for students
▪ COVID outbreaks/increasing trends in the school/surrounding community
∙ Focused Protection of Vulnerable Populations
o Building teams will continue to evaluate individual needs for accommodations and healthcare plans
o For those wanting focused protections, high-quality, one-way masking offers protection for the wearer and is available to anyone who wants one
o Continue to share information about vaccination and booster opportunities
∙ Changes to Circumstances & Data => Changes to Risk/Benefit Analysis (Risk Tolerance)
∙ Future Considerations
o Data-based decisions about adjusting mitigations, prioritizing when possible the most impactful to students’ school experience, should guide our practice
o A purely case-based model does not fully reflect the complexity of the current situation. Multiple measures most accurately describe this complex situation.
o Given the constant shift in the COVID landscape, setting specific thresholds does not reflect the evolving nature of the virus. Evaluating all current data and other info in context allow D200 to make agile and responsible decisions
o It is important to consider the benefit to the SEL wellness and academic achievement of students that can be attained by reclaiming a normal school environment
o There is a highly effective vaccine and other opportunities to provide focused protection for individuals
∙ Four Key Types of Analytical Data
o Descriptive Data
o Diagnostic Data
o Predictive Data
o Prescriptive Data
∙ Descriptive Data – What is Happening?
o Data Points, Sources, and What Changes Signal the District to Do
o D200 COVID case data by District, level & school; Cases per 100,000 in D200 zip codes, Approximate student vaccination rates, and Hospitalization (ICU/Non ICU) data
∙ Diagnostic Data – Why Did This Happen?
o Data Points, Sources, and What Changes Signal the District to Do
o Common space investigation findings
∙ Predictive Data – What Could Happen in the Future?
o Data Points, Sources, and What Changes Signal the District to Do
o Variant research, Indoor humidity
∙ Prescriptive Data – What Should We Do Next?
o Data Points, Sources, and What Changes Signal the District to Do
o Classroom safe hours; Results of targeted mitigations
∙ Prevalent Variant* - February 16, 2022
∙ District 200 COVID Data Dashboard
o New Cases per Week - Student/Staff
o Daily Public Data Snapshot - Quarantine (Voluntary) & Case Data by School Level
∙ Zip Code Cases per 100,000 Residents
∙ D200 Approximate Student Partial & Full Vaccination Rates – Elementary, MS, HS
∙ Hospitalization: ICU and Non-ICU Bed Utilization
∙ District 200 Safe Hours for School Environment
∙ Summary
o Changes to COVID landscape and evaluating all current data and other info in context allow the District to make agile and responsible decisions (signals, not triggers) => Adjustments to universal and targeted mitigations, and the way forward for our learning experience
∙ Recommendations
o The following mitigations that were suspended on 2/7/22 be officially removed from the list of universal mitigations: required quarantine for close contacts, required universal masking, test to stay requirement for in-school close contacts
o Continue to monitor the data points identified and report them publicly at Board meetings to monitor for signals for future adjustments
o Administrators continue to be empowered to implement targeted mitigations as needed in individual spaces or buildings
o Future updates to joint guidance be reviewed and implemented as appropriate
There was additional information/comments on the following:
∙ This plan was reviewed and shared with the Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC), the DuPage County Health Department, and with other community partners that have provided feedback as the District has navigated through the last few years.
∙ There are many layers to this path moving forward.
∙ As a public school district, there is a desire and an obligation to educate students in our community, to provide focused protection for students in the community, and this can be seen in the plan brought forward.
∙ This plan represents a lot of work on the part of the District Administrative team. And while this plan is not necessarily new information, it provides some clear signals moving forward on when the District needs to make adjustments in their mitigation plans.
∙ The concept of layered mitigation as it relates to the swiss cheese concept.
∙ Universal mitigations in D200 are applied daily across the District in all educational settings. They are generally ongoing until conditions and data signal a change should be made.
∙ Targeted mitigations in D200 are applied specifically to individual spaces as need is indicated by the data, applied as needed to protect vulnerable individuals, fall on a continuum from less intrusive to more intrusive, and utilized for a very finite period of time.
∙ The universal COVID mitigations that are not visible in the classroom/daily school operations – simply mean that the students in the classroom would not necessarily know or see that those things are taking place nightly.
∙ The current variant has different characteristics than the original version of the virus, and as we continue to move forward, that is likely to continue to be the case.
∙ DCHD does continue to align with the CDC and the fact that they do recommend universal masking for schools. There is also recognition of layered mitigations, and that school districts should consider a multitude of indicators that help make decisions about mitigations.
∙ Referenced the guidance for accommodations document that was developed by Erica Ekstrom, the D200 Executive Director of Special Education, due to the TRO of the Executive Order.
∙ It is important to recognize that with the shifts in the information that has changed and what we have learned, setting specific thresholds does not accurately capture the reality of what the virus may look like three months from now. The need to continue to have some flexibility as to how we respond going forward.
∙ Important to recognize any tool that is used to help guide school districts and their planning moving forward, whether that be the MIT tool, a framework developed by a health dept., etc. They are all theoretical models taking information and attempting to build a theory about what will happen at certain points (predictive and prescriptive data).
∙ Descriptive data – keep data to understand at any given point in time exactly what is going on with the virus inside our schools – positive cases, students that are out of school but getting tested, students who are quarantined by level by school.
∙ Diagnostic data – helps us to describe how it happens – when there is a situation of multiple cases inside of a particular space. This allows the District in a very short time to deploy an individual/team to look specifically at that space to understand the case activity, the origin of the cases, and the specific individual instructional space.
∙ Predictive data – what are we learning about the variant itself? Information is gathered from DCHD, CDC, and WHO.
∙ Prescriptive data – multiple variables brought together to give an output in a theoretical model.
∙ There has been a sharp decline in student case activity over the last 5-6 weeks (including the last two weeks under the current mitigations of masks optional). Staff cases have continued to trend down, as have the cases per 100,000 residents in our zip codes.
∙ The number of student positive cases this week represents about .14% of the student population.
∙ ICU bed utilization has also continued to come down slightly.
∙ The recommendation intends to specifically remove policy 4:182 from the D200 policy manual. Action from the Board would be required to reinstate the face covering policy at a future date.
∙ The need for the Board and Administrative team to be aware, and if there are signals that things are shifting, need to be prepared to adjust mitigations as appropriate. In the immediate, that is best to be handled on a very targeted basis within our individual spaces.
∙ Moving forward, some additional universal mitigations have been identified when looking at spacing and lunch and a few other areas that will be discussed in the future as the unlayering of some mitigation opportunities continues to be reviewed.
There were questions/comments/discussions on the following:
∙ Masking requirement on buses - enforcement and the difficulty of bus drivers to monitor the situations occurring behind the drivers while transporting students.
∙ Quarantine for close contacts and masking – appellate court decision for local control and complying with the law/codes vs. TRO and due process obligations. The District is not currently requiring a student who is a close contact to wear a mask. Individual student/family decision to wear a mask if identified as a close contact.
∙ If there are situations with multiple cases (targeted space investigations) that require assistance, the District can and does ask the health dept. for assistance (depending on the mitigations in place).
∙ Recommending masking/face coverings as situations occur vs. requiring them.
∙ Focused protection of vulnerable populations as it relates to policy 6:150 – request for an update to the Board on this program to ensure student needs are being addressed, the number of students in the program, is there a plan for them to return to school, etc.?
∙ Clarification as to what information is being requested and ensuring the reporting of the information is handled carefully.
∙ Comparative data of the number of students being serviced through policy 6:150 pre pandemic vs. current year.
∙ Are the needs of those students being serviced through home hospital instruction being addressed and is it effective? Is the process working and is there communication and engagement?
∙ The current number of students receiving home hospital instruction is low – there were 17 students at the start of this school year.
∙ Mitigations and teachers making decisions for their safety due to medical conditions.
∙ The District does have staff members that are receiving appropriate accommodations due to medical issues. Making students aware that staff members may have accommodations is dependent on how much information the individual staff member has chosen to share.
∙ Students in our buildings that are not part of the home hospital instruction numbers, may also be receiving support inside the classroom. Referred to the Guidance for Accommodations document effective 2/4/22. This involves collaboration between the buildings and the School Service Center staff.
∙ Clarification on “joint guidance” phrase – this could come from ISBE, CDC, DCHD, etc. It is believed this information will continue to be updated.
∙ Each building has ionization devices/machines.
∙ Test to stay numbers since this became optional vs. requirement in early February.
∙ Staff members and face coverings as it relates to students who are not getting affirmation from adults.
∙ Ensuring that an individual’s choice is their choice regarding face coverings and that all feel safe and comfortable with their choice.
∙ This has been a fluid situation from the start. We will change course and adjust as needed to keep students and staff as safe as possible.
∙ Vaccine education campaign and the role of a school district.
∙ Thank you to the administration, staff, and teachers for all they have done and continue to do.
∙ The need to be agile in addressing future variants and the belief this plan lays out the signals and the process to do that. The need to continue to work and collaborate with the entities that provide feedback and guidance to the District to understand our targeted/universal mitigations and when it makes sense to pull back on some of those mitigations.
∙ The only one of the universal mitigations that is an action of the Board now is the face covering policy.
∙ “Due Process” language in the TRO in the context of changes to the face coverings policy.
∙ Policy 4:182 discussion - the wording of the recommendation “suspend” vs. “remove” the policy; how to reinstate the policy if it is needed; board action would be required to reinstate a face covering policy if it is suspended or removed from the manual, and neither option would be a more expedited path.
∙ Mandatory face coverings was the only element in the mitigation plan with the need to have some enforcement around it.
∙ Students with symptoms who are unable to test – required isolation window, remote learning support available for those students in isolation, and resources/support for families requiring tests that are struggling to find tests or transportation to access tests.
∙ Staff requirement to test or vaccinate was vacated as part of the TRO.
∙ Removing layers of mitigations and allowing two-to-four weeks to see the impact.
∙ Appreciate that the District reached out and this plan was shared with the DCHD.
∙ The recommendation language will be to approve the removal of Board policy 4:182 face coverings from the policy manual.
MOTION
Member Hanlon moved, Member Long seconded to approve the removal of Board Policy 4:182 Face Coverings as presented. Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was AYE 6 (Hanlon, Long, Blatner, Booton, Yeboah, Crabtree), NAY 1 (Paulsen). The motion carried 6-1.
SUSPEND THE RULES AND ADJOURN TO WORKSHOP SETTING
MOTION
Member Hanlon moved, Member Paulsen seconded to suspend the rules and adjourn to a workshop setting. Upon a roll call vote being taken the vote was AYE 7, NAY 0. The motion carried 7-0.
INSTRUCTION
Social-Emotional Learning Feature
District 200 is committed to ensuring the emotional well-being of all students. As part of that commitment, the District has taken several action steps. This year, we have implemented trust adult relationship mapping, offered expanded clubs and activities, added emotional wellness coordinators, implemented suicide prevention programming, and delivered focus professional learning.
Dr. Silagi provided an update to the Board on the big picture focus areas within SEL for this year. The Board of Education heard an update on five key systemic action steps that District 200 has taken this year in their efforts to ensure the emotional wellness of all students, which included the following:
∙ Trusted Adult Relationship Mapping
∙ Expanded Clubs and Activities
∙ Acknowledge, Care, Tell
∙ Emotional Wellness Coordinators
∙ Focused Professional Learning
There was additional information/comments on the following:
∙ The Board Social Emotional Learning Committee has met several times this year to review key pieces of data and information to monitor the SEL plan.
∙ These five actions do not encompass the full SEL work plan for the department this year, but these are the five bigger actions when it comes to the emotional well-being of students.
∙ Initiated trusted adult relationship mapping across the District at all of the K-12 schools. Anchored in the belief that all of our students should have a trusted adult. The research is clear that when kids are connected to school through a trusted adult, learning increases and emotional stressors decrease.
∙ A good SEL plan comes with layers.
∙ Expanded club and activity offerings across the entire system – elementary, MS, and HS levels. This action supports the connected adult piece and gets kids connected to school.
∙ There are assessments and data in the spring to back the pieces that are monitored. This data is reviewed to make decisions and support programming and will be brought to the Board later in the spring.
∙ Grades 8, 9, 11, 12 are participating in ACT (Acknowledge, Care & Tell), The Signs of Suicide prevention programming for the District. This is a research-based youth suicide prevention program, creating a culture where students can acknowledge warning signs in themselves or peers, take a caring approach, and make sure they tell a trusted adult if worried about themselves or a friend. There is also a research-based screening as well where teams come to a building, and respond/provide help to students if needed.
∙ Added Emotional Wellness Coordinators at the HS and most recently at the MS level. This position not only supports students in either short-term or prolonged emotional distress or mental health crisis but also is responsible for coordinating programming and overseeing the transition of students returning from hospital settings to ensure the transition into school is caring and supportive.
∙ Offering Focused Professional Learning to proactively assist all K-12 staff with implementing new programming and attempting to grow and get better. The focus is around four components, including student-teacher relationships, classroom behavior management, crisis prevention and de-escalation, and restorative conversations.
There were questions/comments/discussions on the following:
∙ How professional learning manifests itself in the District microcredentials. The focused professional learning is mandatory and structured so every staff member will receive it, and the microcredentials are opportunities available to staff.
∙ Request for a future presentation to the full board of the full scope of supports that are offered to kids (counselors, social workers, school psychologists), and a deeper explanation of how that team works together to support kids.
∙ Request to share a video link with the full board that was presented at the Feb 22 SEL committee.
∙ Why student behavior became the focus of professional learning
o Things that were seen at the front end of the school year from students (students coming back from all different learning situations last year – at home, in school, different learning models, different home environments) noting an output to various stressors and ultimately leading to behaviors in the classroom.
o Behaviors from our earliest learners.
o Some of the discipline disproportionality data and looking at the reasons/root cause of some of our more significant behavioral issues.
∙ Behaviors and at what specific levels they are taking place. Each level has its challenges, but transition points (current 7th and 10th graders) were a focus.
∙ The use of ESSER funds for the expanded clubs and activities and the three-year commitment of those funds for the expanded clubs and activities.
∙ One of the strengths of the District is the integrated approach with SEL and with equity/proactive practices. The focused professional learning does not make explicit some of the good work that is being done in preparing teachers on the four components, as it is linked around equity. Making this clear would help sustain the work and make it more systematic. Would like to see more of where those links are being made and integrate them in some of the language more explicitly.
∙ Point of concern to keep an eye on – in the early childhood space there is a lot of focus on ensuring our earliest learners are ready for the school experience both academically and socially through the early learning collaborative. A lot of that disappeared in the early stages of the pandemic. Will need to focus on the early learning indicators in kids transitioning to Kindergarten and the early years, as there may be some missing elements for those students that will need help filling.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
There being no further business to come before the Board in Open Session, Member Paulsen moved, Member Hanlon seconded to adjourn the meeting. Upon a voice call being taken, all were in favor and the motion carried 7-0.
The meeting adjourned at 9:03 PM.
https://www.cusd200.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=22857&dataid=36453&FileName=Minutes%20Feb%2023%202022%20Reg%20Mtg%20and%20COW.pdf
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