They don’t split off and go to different rooms. That’s a powerful sentiment because these parents are part of our worship community. 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)? “Even though the guidelines are 30 pages, it’s a lot of nuance. Chalkbeat Chicago: How did the archdiocese make the decision to reopen schools for in-person learning this past summer, even as most public schools in the area opted for virtual instruction? Their size is obviously much larger than ours. JL: First and foremost, it’s size and flexibility. 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. School Reopening Plan . Crusaders are called to show love for one another by maintaining distance.”. The school will keep a closer watch on any symptoms within the student’s or teacher’s cohort. 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. 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 … It’s not a, ‘We’re not doing it.’ It’s a, ‘What will it be like?’ We’ll figure it out together. “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. (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. 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. Cardinal Blase Cupich speaking to students at St. Genevieve Catholic School, 4854 W. Montana, in January. Families that don’t want to send their children to school buildings can opt for virtual school. The archdiocese did institute a contact tracing protocol. 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. 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. 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. 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. And many, many, many were excited to do that. We’ll have some hiccups. Officials there say they are following strict safety measures and deem their reopening a success so far. “They know we’re going to do everything to keep their children safe. 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. And so we’re really comprehensive. Students will have their temperatures taken and be asked about any possible COVID-19 symptoms every day when they enter the building. 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. We’re investigating the options. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Our schools very often are smaller, and that allows us to look at being more flexible. CB: Did all schools that are part of the archdiocese reopen for full-time in-person instruction? How this Chicago pre-K teacher created a typical day for her students in an atypical year, 2020 LSC election participation plummets, nearly 1000 seats unfilled. Is it a positive case? 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