Dixon schools begin registration

DIXON — Online registration for Dixon Public Schools District 170 begins Tuesday at www.dps170.org.

In-person registration will be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 28 at the district office, 1335 Franklin Grove Road.

School districts across the state were directed to provide full-day in-person instruction now that the state is in Phase 5 of the COVID-19 recovery.

“We’re excited to get back to a normal school day,” Superintendent Margo Empen said.

Not all the details regarding coronavirus safeguards have been decided by the Illinois State Board of Education, however.

Specifically: Will students and staff be required to wear masks and maintain social distance?

“Right now, it’s wait ’n’ see,” Dixon High Principal Michael Grady said. “We’re hoping we can open up in full force.”

In a message to school leaders Thursday, state Superintendent Carmen Ayala wrote that guidance is forthcoming, likely sometime in mid-July.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is awaiting recommendations for schools from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she said.

ISBE wants to hear from health experts on the transmissible delta variant and how it is spreading among unvaccinated people.

“As a former district superintendent, I understand the urgency of having clarity so you can make budgeting, staffing, scheduling and other critical decisions in preparation for the new school year,” Ayala wrote. “I understand the pressure you are facing from your communities.”

Empen acknowledges that any requirements for masks and social distancing is “a hot-button topic for a lot of people.”

In all likelihood, health officials might be taking into account current conditions, such as infection rates and vaccination rates.

As of June 28, some 45.11% of Lee County residents were fully vaccinated. The number of school-age children 12 and older who are vaccinated is not known. But according to the state IDPH website, about 69.2% of all Illinoisians 12 and older have received at least one dose, and about 54% were fully vaccinated.

The decision to be vaccinated falls to parental choice, but the prospect of vaccinated and unvaccinated students in close proximity is likely “where the state is having a difficult discussion,” Empen said.

What the school can do is enact measures within its control, Empen said.

• Teachers and parents can expect students to spend a full day in the classrooms, with first bell at 7:15 a.m. and dismissal at 2:15 p.m.
• Sanitization procedures for classrooms, equipment and facilities, perfected over the past 15 months, will continue.
• Rapid testing for COVID-19, which the school instituted in January, again will be available based on parental permission for students or staff who may exhibit signs of illness.

The district will meet with Lee County Health Department representatives in the coming week for consultation and coordination. she said.

Some students will be returning to the classrooms for the first time in more than a year. The district is making the schools accessible to parents and students who wish to re-familiarize themselves with the learning environment, Empens said.

“We want to support them on that journey.”

The first day of student attendance is Monday, Aug. 16.

Sterling School District: Online registration started May 3 and is ongoing. People needing assistance or in-person support can call 815-626-5050. Classes begin Aug. 18.

The district, in coordination with Shield Illinois, is providing free saliva-based COVID-19 tests to the community at Cafeteria Door 9 at Sterling High School from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments can be made through sterlingpublicschools.org.

Rock Falls High School: Online registration, which started May 3, will close on Wednesday, July 7. Directions for completing registration can be found at www.rfhs301.org. Classes begin Aug. 12.

Rock Falls Elementary District 13: Onsite registration will be Tuesday, July 20 from noon to 6 p.m. at the Rock Falls Middle School. Classes begin Aug. 18.