The District Weekly for November 3, 2021
November 3, 2021 (Archivo de mensajes en español)
Hello BPS101 Families-
On October 13, 2021, we came to you asking for your assistance in adding an additional COVID-19 mitigation measure to the District to help protect our students and staff this school year. This mitigation measure is now on HOLD. Here is the story.
SHIELD IL Update
After experiencing the testing process during the first week of testing, we chose to pivot to an at-home approach. The process of providing a sample can be very time-consuming and causes a significant disruption to learning — especially for younger students. In fact, we were able to test only half of the students that had opted in to the program last week. The current funnels provided by SHIELD have a defect that makes it very difficult to provide an adequate sample.
As we began to roll out our at-home sampling process this week, SHIELD asked us to stop since their procedures do not allow for unobserved testing. This limitation and our experience have caused us to reconsider the value of the testing program.
With the knowledge that we now have about the testing process, the current testing supplies, and limitations, coupled with the current COVID transmission rates in our community, we cannot justify the amount of time that students must spend away from learning to perform the tests at this time. We may bring back the testing for a classroom, school, or throughout the District on an as-needed basis. We will provide notice to all impacted by future testing before it is implemented.
News Highlights from Around the District
BHS Partners to Offer Free ECGs
BSPN to Host Presentation on Depression and Anxiety
Hall of Honor Committee Seeks Nominations for 2022
Be well (and GO BULLDOGS),
BPS101