Schools take precautions against coronavirus
Orland Park elementary student who traveled overseas asked to stay home for two weeks
An Orland Park student who recently traveled to an area overseas considered high-risk for the coronavirus was told to not return to class for two weeks, according to Orland Elementary School District 135.
It was not clear whether the student was being monitored for possible infection with the virus, and the district did not provide further details, including when the student was asked to not return to school.
The Illinois Department of Public Health advised schools last month, following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that students who’ve traveled to high-risk areas where the virus is more prevalent, such as mainland China, shouldn’t be allowed back at school for 14 days following their return.
The Orland Park district said it recently notified district families and staff that District 135 was following that guidance, but the message did not go out because of the student being told to remain home, according to Jennifer Obright, a district spokeswoman.
“No messaging has gone out stating that a student was ill or showing symptoms of the virus, and no students have been sent home due to displaying symptoms of the virus,” she said Friday.
It was not clear how the district had learned of the student having traveled to a high-risk area and Obright said the district was relying “on its families and community to report any travel” to such countries.
Some south suburban schools have canceled overseas trips and deployed more hand sanitizer as concerns about COVID-19 have grown, although public health officials insist the threat is low.
Governors State University in University Park canceled a trip to Italy scheduled for May, while other planned overseas trips are being evaluated.
The faculty-led trip would have included 13 students, said Amy Soub, the university’s assistant director of international services.
Soub said summer trips planned to Germany, Ghana and Israel may also be canceled.
Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 canceled a trip to Italy that was scheduled for spring break, which begins March 30.
The trip was not part of a particular class and was open to all
students of the district’s three schools in Frankfort and New Lenox. About 20 students had signed on for the trip, according to Jennifer Hannon, a district spokeswoman.
“We worked with the travel company to refund those who had trip insurance. Others were provided a voucher by the company to use on a future trip,” she said.
Area school districts said they are reminding students to stay home if they feel ill and to frequently wash their hands. District 210, in a letter late last month to families, wrote that students who had visited mainland China should not immediately return to school, and that school nurses were being vigilant about monitoring students for any possible symptoms.
Classrooms have been provided sanitary wipes, and Lincoln-Way and other districts have outfitted buildings with additional dispensers of hand sanitizer.
Bremen High School District 228 wrote district families in late February to say no major changes to normal operations had taken place.
The district, which has high schools in Country Club Hills, Midlothian, Oak Forest and Tinley Park, said it had added extra hand sanitizer, particularly in hallways, so students can get a squirt between classes.
Governors State also reported additional hand sanitizer stations were available in campus buildings, and that areas including classrooms and bathrooms would receive extra attention during cleaning over spring break, which begins Monday.