CDC Logo

Dear District 161 Families,

The Centers for Disease Control, Illinois Department of Public Health and Cook County Department of Public Health are closely monitoring the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). This is a rapidly changing situation. Symptoms reported among COVID-19 patients have included mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. At this time, the virus has not been found to be spreading widely in the U.S. and the risk to the general public remains low.  

Please know that our school district is following the recommended cleaning procedures, guidelines and expectations of the health departments. Our health services team is aware of the symptoms associated with the virus and are carefully monitoring the health of the students. The custodial staff will continue to be diligent with all our cleaning practices in our schools. Staff members will continue to promote universal precautions among students, including increased hand washing and maintaining personal space.

Please take a moment to remind your child to practice good hygiene, including hand washing, and respiratory etiquette. To prevent the spread of illness, please keep your child home if she/he experiences flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat). If your child is running a fever of 100 degrees or greater, please keep your child home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications. If your child becomes ill while at school, your child will be sent home. If you are unavailable to pick them up during the school day, please consider other arrangements for them to be picked up and cared for during that time. Please update your contact information if it has changed since the beginning of the school year so that we can contact you with updates and information about your child if necessary. If your child is absent due to illness, please be symptom specific (fever, cough, etc) when contacting the absentee hotline.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is recommending the following measures for everyone:
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. 
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Please contact your child’s healthcare provider for specific questions or concerns. We appreciate your cooperation in assisting us to provide a safe, healthy learning environment.

More information and resources can be found below.

How to talk to children about COVID-19

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019

www.dph.illinois.gov

www.cookcountypublichealth.org