Dear Staff and Community at A-C Central:

 I hope this message finds you and your families safe and well. Today, the Illinois State Board of Education released guidance for schools on the 2020-21 school year. 

 This 60+ page document has been much anticipated and will assist in answering critical questions all of us share about what the 2020-21 school year will look like in terms of in-person learning, scheduling, transportation, wearing masks, social distancing and other measures intended to keep everyone safe and healthy, while also re-engaging students in the learning process.  

Right now, I don’t have all the answers to those questions as this document was released to school districts at the same time it was released to the public. Therefore, I kindly ask for your patience as our staff thoroughly reviews this detailed guidance and implements the suggestions into our district’s own transition plan.

 A-C Central is keenly aware of the urgent need to communicate to families about what to expect next school year and anticipate releasing our own transition plan very soon

This guidance will accelerate those conversations, and our district will put forth a plan that prioritizes the health and safety of our students while maintaining a dynamic learning environment. 

Thank you again for your patience, understanding, and flexibility as our entire district navigated a situation together that none of us could have imagined. 

 I will be in touch soon. In the meantime, stay safe and enjoy your summer.

 Sincerely,

 Tim Page

JB Pritzker’s current order is to use Act of God Days through March 30.  Later, the Governor ordered schools to remain closed through April 7, but he has not yet made any determination regarding how the school should treat these days regarding attendance and academics.  I fully expect that we will be under some type of E-Learning mandate.  I also expect that there will be yet another extension of the school closure.  With this in mind, I have met with our administrative team, and we are attempting to make sure devices get in the hands of every student and that every student will have some type of access made available for them to get on the internet.  This will allow all students to utilize our teachers' e-learning plans to their fullest extent including some digital interactive time with their teachers and classmates, and then we will be better able to continue progressing through our curriculum using this platform.

Also -  Please know that CassComm has opened up all of their public hotspots for free.  There are many local areas where this is available.  Please see their webpage for these locations and remember to continue to exercise appropriate social distancing if utilizing these services.

https://home.casscomm.com/wifi-hotspots/

While those plans materialize, let me leave you with this:

Lunches/Breakfasts are still being provided in a grab and go format from each building from 11:30-12:30 every weekday.

For those who received packets from their teachers before we dismissed and they have been completed, you may bring those back to the school and drop them off during the same time as lunch is being made available.  We will get them to the teachers for you.

When I have more information, I will push it out to you.

Thank you and stay safe!

I hope that this message finds you well.  I want to share that all Sangamon area school districts that attended the Career Fair received the message below from Mary Jo Wood, Director, Regional Office of Career & Technical Education.

AC Central had many sophomores attend this Career Fair. While the risk for contamination was low, we believe it important to share with everyone out of an extreme abundance of caution. 

"Our office was given information late last night that one of our representatives at Career Day was the third person in the county to test positive for the coronavirus.  She was representing the State Treasurer’s Office.  There was minimal exposure as she was one booth that not many students approached.  She was behind an 8-foot table with her back to the wall.  Those students not approaching her and that were in the aisle in front of her table were 8 to 10 feet from her.  She is recuperating at home.

Per Conversation with the health department, the health department will reach out to those who were in direct contact with her per their review and evaluation of her.

If anyone experiences symptoms they are to contact their physician or call their local health department.

Cass County: (217) 452-3057

Morgan County: (217) 245- 5111

Sangamon County:: (217) 321-2606

Menard County: (217) 632-7864

Per the Sangamon County Department of Public Health (SCDPH) along with Memorial Health System, HSHS St. John’s Hospital, Springfield Clinic and SIU Medicine have issued this joint communication:

“If you have had limited contact with a person under quarantine, you do not have to go into quarantine yourself, but you should stay away from others as much as possible. “Limited contact” is defined as being at least six feet apart from the quarantined person for 10 minutes to up to two hours. If you have had contact with an individual under isolation, you should be quarantined.”

We certainly appreciate your patience as we work through this together.  Thank you for your cooperation.

As the Coronavirus dominates the news cycle, we wanted to put some basic information out that will just remind everyone of how best to prevent infections.  Basically, the Illinois Department of Health recommends the same procedures for avoiding other illnesses such as the common cold or flu.

The IDPH recommends the following precautions in preventing any virus:

• Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Staying home when you are sick.
• Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

While we obviously encourage students to attend school regularly, it is important for parents to remember that our policy has always been and will continue to be that if a student displays symptoms such as a fever or vomiting, they should not attend school or school functions for at least 24 hours after the symptoms have subsided. 

The following are informational links for schools to use:

CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Illinois Department of Public Health
http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus