Marian Central Catholic High School, all Diocese of Rockford schools to go remote for two weeks in January

Woodstock’s Marian Central Catholic High School, along with all the other Catholic schools under the Diocese of Rockford, will switch to remote learning for two full weeks starting Jan. 4.

This decision by the office comes in response to rising COVID-19 cases in all areas of Illinois, according to a Thursday news release. The Diocese of Chicago, which covers neighboring Lake and Cook counties, announced a similar move on Oct. 23.

In a letter to families, Diocese of Rockford officials said they expect some people may travel and visit others during the holiday season, a reason also cited by the Diocese of Chicago.

“After careful consideration and discussions with members of the Diocesan Chancery and our school administrators, The Diocese Catholic Education Office has decided to shift our schools to remote learning to avoid multiple cohort quarantines due to holiday infections,” according the letter.

The Diocese of Rockford covers 11 counties, including McHenry, Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Kane, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago. Catholic elementary schools in McHenry County include St. Margaret Mary School in Algonquin, SS. Peter & Paul in Cary, St. Thomas the Apostle in Crystal Lake, St. John the Baptist in Johnsburg, Montini in McHenry and St. Mary School in Woodstock.

In the letter, diocese Superintendent of Schools Michael Kagan and Assistant Superintendent Vito C. DeFrisco said school administrators are continuing to follow recommended protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education, which have kept schools’ COVID-19 cases to a minimum.

Remote learning will not start until Jan. 4, unless COVID-19 cases continue to climb and will last for just the two-week period, returning Jan. 19, after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

However, if schools in the Diocese of Rockford Office of Catholic Education experience a significant increase in COVID-19 cases after Jan. 19, additional remote learning periods may be implemented to ensure the health and safety of students and staff, Kagan and DeFrisco said.

School administrators will have the option of having teaching staff work remotely from home or school and make sure to have school buildings “deep cleaned” and “disinfected” during the remote learning period.

Once the school building has been disinfected, according to the letter, no one will be allowed into the building until in-class instruction starts again.

“As a Catholic community, in partnership with our school families, we accept our responsibility to care for others’ health and safety through preventive behaviors,” Kagan and DeFrisco said in the letter. “We hope that this decision will allow all families and employees to enjoy the upcoming holiday season and return safely for in-class instruction.”