On August 26th, 2021, Governor Pritzker announced that vaccines would be mandatory for “all educational employees”. For Glenbard South, this means that all staff members will need to have confirmation of being vaccinated by September 5th or have the results of a COVID-19 test by September 10th. If a staff member does not want to get the vaccine, they will need to submit a COVID-19 Diagnosis test once a week. The mandate will also apply to non-educators that work in the school, such as the custodial team and bus drivers. It will additionally be enforced for club sponsors that don’t work at the school, as well as coaches for sports that only work with students for part of the year.
Some Information on COVID-19 Protocol:
Although the staff will be required to get vaccinated, this does not mean that mask restrictions will lighten up. As of August 30, 2021, everyone must wear a mask at all times while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
According to Principal Santee, if a student shows symptoms of Covid-19 during school, the student must go down to the nurse, where they will be instructed on what to do from there. If a student has COVID symptoms at home, the student must not go to school and get a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test. COVID-positive students and faculty, or those waiting for a PCR test result should not go to school in-person. If a student is in close contact -six feet without a mask, or three feet with a mask, both for more than fifteen minutes- with someone who is showing symptoms, the student will need to go home until it is proven that they do not have COVID. Vaccinated Students who do not show symptoms, will not need to quarantine.
Depending on the situation, a student may need to quarantine for the full two weeks or for 10 days.
Here is a list of the most common COVID-19 symptoms. These will appear within 2-14 days of contracting COVID:
fever/ chills
Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
Muscle/Body aches
A change in how you perceive taste or smell
Sore throat
Nausea
Vomiting
Fatigue
Cough
Headaches
Diarrhea
Please note that this is not a complete list of symptoms.