FAQ -  Superintendent Advisory Panel

The metrics we use follow guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Village of Oak Park Public Health, Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium Return to School Metrics Workgroup, research from the Harvard Global Health Institute, and the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine COVID dashboard. (Page 5)

Filters are checked and changed monthly and noted in the preventative maintenance records database of the Building and Grounds operations management solution, School Dude. District 97 uses MERV 8 rating filters to allow an adequate amount of airflow through the filter. (Pages 22 and 23)

Our classroom ventilation rates were looked at by our building automation control vendor. “Design Outdoor Air - Air Changes per Hour (OA ACH) were calculated utilizing the physical room dimensional data and design ventilation rates as presented in the issued for construction design drawings for recent projects at Brooks Middle School, Hatch Elementary School, Irving Elementary School, Julian Middle School, Longfellow Elementary School, and Mann Elementary School. Utilizing a sample of classrooms across all D97 facilities, we calculated an average design ventilation rate of 3.0 OA ACH with an average minimum outdoor air percentage of 36%. We also calculated the code required ventilation for the same sample of classrooms and have determined that they all are designed to meet or exceed the code required minimum ventilation rate as required by the 2018 International Mechanical Code. The International Mechanical Code ventilation requirements are calculated using a formula based on Occupancy Classification, Occupant Density, and Floor Area and follow ASHRAE Standard 62.1. Ventilation code requirements are not based on air changes per hour. ASHRAE’s Epidemic Task Force recommends that non-healthcare facilities increase ventilation when feasible during an epidemic, but do not give any specific ventilation targets or values. The ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force’s guidelines recommend that facilities increase outdoor air ventilation and open outdoor air dampers to the greatest extent possible as indoor and outdoor conditions permit.” (Pages 22 and 23)

Parents/guardians of a COVID-positive child, or a COVID-positive staff person will be interviewed by personnel from the Oak Park Department of Public Health. IDPH also provides the following: Contact tracing will be performed by the local health department, sometimes in partnership with IDPH or a community-based organization. However, schools can assist the local health department by identifying all close contacts with a confirmed case. Documentation of assigned seats can be useful in helping schools determine who was within 6 feet of a given case. Schools must be aware of records and confidentiality laws pertaining to school student records, including exceptions for release of information in the event of an emergency and requirements to notify parents and create a record of emergency releases of information. (105 ILCS 10/6(a)(7); 23 Il. Admin. Code 375.60). (Pages 35 and 36)

Both the CDC and IDPH have recently updated their definition of close contact. It should be noted that District 97 was already using the updated definition based on recommendations from Oak Park Public Health and the Cook County Department of Public Health. Here is the definition: A close contact is anyone (with or without a face covering) who was within 6 feet of a confirmed case of COVID-19 (with or without a face covering), for a cumulative total of at least 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period during the infectious period. Repeated exposures result in an increased amount of time of exposure; the longer a person is exposed to an infected person, the higher the risk of exposure/transmission. The infectious period of close contact begins two calendar days before the onset of symptoms (for a symptomatic person) or two calendar days before the positive sample was obtained (for an asymptomatic person). (CDC Close Contact Information)

The Oak Park Department of Public Health will assume responsibility for notifications.

Teachers will follow the same protocol for isolation as students. Click here to access the IDPH Exclusion Tree, which was updated on October 27. (Page 32)

Not at this time. The rapid test market is one that is maturing rapidly. In order for the testing to be successful, it must take place more than once and preferably, more than once per week. This is a topic that could be explored in the future by a focus group. There are significant costs and logistics involved with testing. For example, New Trier is prepared to pay $561,000 to $1.3 million for their testing protocol. They contracted with Dr. Ed Campbell who developed the tests for use in his school district, LaGrange 102. https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/winnetka/ct-wtk-new-trier-saliva-screen-million-dollar-contract-tl-1029-20201023-hccswzmhdrfkbmv3hgitwjvzu4-story.html

Over the past few months, District 97 worked with several vendors to procure PPE to avoid the fluctuations in availability. The result is an extensive inventory that will support either a hybrid attendance model or a return to full onsite learning. Items include adult-size disposable masks, child-sized disposable masks, disposable gowns, N95 Respirators, no-touch hand sanitizer dispensers for every classroom, alcohol-based gel hand sanitizer, wall-mounted no-touch thermometers and disinfecting wipes. Also, the Illinois Emergency Management Association (IEMA) furnished a supply of 800 disposable face shields and 6300 cloth masks.  We will monitor the PPE inventory levels and supplement them as needed. 

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS) is utilized extensively across the District to minimize the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is important to note that, in most cases, ABHS are classified as flammable liquids whose storage and dispensing/use must comply with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. As such, we are limited in the amount of ABHS we can store. (Page 8)

Fit testing has been offered to all nurses. As of today, eight of the nine nurses have complied with the request to complete the fit testing and all have passed using District 97 provided N95 respirators. It should be noted that IDPH provided the following update to their FAQ about fit testing: If a fit-tested N95 respirator is not available, the next safest levels of respiratory protection include, in the following order: a non-fit-tested N95 respirator, a KN95 respirator on the FDA-approved list, or a surgical mask.

The District 97 Framework provided a foundation. School-specific guidance will build off this foundational guidance to align the experience with the idiosyncrasies of each school. The school-specific plans are ongoing and will provide focused information on such things as student arrival, bathroom breaks, hand washing and student dismissal. (Page 20)