On Friday, Sangamon County Judge Raylene DeWitte Grischow issued a ruling related to the governor’s mask mandate for schools a temporary restraining order against the Governor’s executive order requiring masks in schools in Illinois. District 50 was not named in the case. However, due to the language of the ruling, Harvard CUSD 50 will temporarily suspend mask requirements and move to Masks Strongly Recommended for students and staff, effective immediately. Please note that this is a short-term solution until the matter is definitively resolved in the court system through appeals and is subject to change.
As we all know, COVID-19 still circulates in our community, so other safety precautions will continue. Physical distancing, deep cleaning of classrooms, hand washing, and other mitigation strategies will remain in place.
Although masks are strongly recommended in school buildings, masks are still required on buses per federal guidelines. Please make sure your child has a mask to get on the bus.
At least temporarily, close contacts will continue to be identified, and parents will be notified, but students will not be removed from school unless they develop symptoms. If your child is currently medically excluded with no symptoms, they may return to school on Monday.
Please continue to be aware of symptoms and be very cautious when coming to school with any COVID-19 symptoms. Any member of our school district who exhibits symptoms will still be medically excluded from school.
Families have different perspectives on these circumstances and situations. Beginning tomorrow in our District, there will be students and staff wearing masks and some not. Even though we all have different emotions and thoughts, one constant is that we must remain respectful to everyone regardless of their decision. Being respectful of others will remain a constant in our District culture.