Dear Fenwick Students, Parents and Guardians,
As stated in last Friday’s communication, the Health Policy and Facilities Task Force met again on Tuesday, March 23. There was much additional information to discuss, including the results of the parent survey (more on that below), but obviously much has occurred and new information has come to light since Tuesday evening.
Purpose of Task Force
From the beginning of the pandemic, all decisions by Fenwick administration have been made with the health and well-being of the entire Fenwick community as the first priority. With that in mind, and the overwhelming desire of our community to return to full, in-person learning, the purpose of the Task Force is to consider the myriad factors involved and propose a plan to the administration for a five-day, full-return to in-person learning. Then, with the approval of the Board, the administration will present the plan to the Village of Oak Park Public Health Department. The Task Force recognizes that any plan Fenwick proposes needs to be approved by the VOPPHD to be implemented.
Social-Distance and Quarantine
The VOPPHD has followed the guidelines of the CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health. One of the major sticking points in those guidelines is the difference between the three feet of social distance recommended for safe, in-school learning and the quarantine requirements which still mandate that anyone within six feet of a known exposure for more than 15 minutes must be quarantined. As such, with six feet of social distance currently in school, a positive case in a classroom doesn’t necessitate quarantining other students. At three feet of social distance and the quarantine requirements at six feet, a positive case in a classroom would have significant quarantine repercussions, severely impacting in-person instruction and participation in athletics/activities for those affected students.
With that in mind, a Task Force Team focused on Testing and Quarantine, comprised of six doctors and a nurse (three of whom are current parents), is writing a letter to the VOPPHD highlighting the inconsistency – from a health/safety perspective - in the social distance/quarantine guidelines. It will emphasize the risk mitigation efforts that Fenwick has undertaken, which have largely been successful, and argue that the quarantine policy for Fenwick should be modified, especially if a testing program is part of any potential return to school proposal.
Adaptive Pause Decision
The Task Force was informed during its meeting on Tuesday evening that Fenwick knew of six new confirmed Covid-19 cases and several probable cases among the student body. That number grew throughout Wednesday to fifteen confirmed cases, which resulted in the VOPPHD’s “strong recommendation” that Fenwick take an “adaptive pause” from in-person learning. With 125 students quarantined as a result of this outbreak and more cases likely to be confirmed, the decision was made by Fenwick administration and board leadership that an adaptive pause was in the best interest of the Fenwick community. That information was communicated to you late on Wednesday.
At this point, Fenwick intends to return to hybrid-learning the week of April 12, but that may change. This recent outbreak and the VOPPHD’s response to it may complicate and/or delay the Task Force’s work to propose a plan to return to full in-person learning this spring.
Task Force Teams
In addition to the aforementioned Testing/Quarantine Team that is writing a letter to the VOPPHD about quarantine requirements, three other Teams have been formed to conduct the Task Force’s work:
· Code of Conduct – this includes three Fenwick staff/administrators and Fenwick counsel
· Facility – comprised of three Fenwick staff/administrators and the Chair of the Task Force
· Pilot Program – to study the feasibility/viability of having at least one full class of students for full in-person learning for the seven weeks of school remaining after spring break.
The Task Force meets again on Tuesday, March 30.
Survey Results
Thank you to those who completed the parent survey. Fenwick received 372 responses. These were also shared with the Task Force on Tuesday evening. There is overwhelming support (90+%) for a full return to in-person learning and similar support to abide by all CDC guidelines (99+%) and quarantine decisions consistent with the guidelines of the VOPPHD (95+%). For a summary of the survey results, please click here.
We hope this information is helpful as to the work the Task Force is doing, some of the complexities of returning to more in-person instruction within the public health guidelines, and some of the decision-making process that has occurred. You can expect to receive further communication after the Task Force meeting next week and before the end of spring break about school resuming the week of April 12.
Thank you for your continued support.
