Georgetown-Ridge Farm CUSD #4

Don't forget about the Vaccination Clinic at MMJH . See the attached flier for more information.

February 7, 2022 Dear Georgetown-Ridge Farm Families, Teachers, and Staff: This letter is to update you regarding COVID-19 mitigations in the Georgetown-Ridge Farm School District. You may have read the Sangamon County court decision that resulted in a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) stating that named school districts cannot mandate masks, quarantine "close contacts", or require vaccinations or testing of staff. While Georgetown-Ridge Farm CUSD #4 is not named in the suit, we are aware that the impact of this decision does indeed affect us. I would like to thank you for responding to the GRF Masking Survey. At this time, 84.5% of our parents and 71.5% of our faculty and staff are in favor of moving to a mask strongly recommended status. No student and staff will be excluded for not masking. At this time, the Georgetown-Ridge Farm School District will pause the enforcement of the mask mandate effective immediately. During this pause, we will adjust our plan to strongly recommend, not require, masking. I encourage each family to determine what immediate steps they feel are most appropriate for their children and family circumstances. Please have a conversation with your children about your expectations of masking practices and that no pressure should be applied by a student towards any other student to wear a mask or not wear a mask. I also encourage everyone to be tolerant and empathetic to others' choices. Due to federal law, masks are still required on all school district transportation. Close contacts will not be excluded, but we will provide courtesy calls to let you know if your student was potentially exposed to COVID-19 at school. Please understand that the recent TRO is indeed temporary. Our pause of Executive Order COVID-19 mask mandate may also be temporary as we await action from the appellate court in the next two weeks. Thank you for your continued understanding and we appreciate your patience. We will continue to keep you informed as we monitor the progress of this legal matter. Sincerely, Dr. Jean Neal, Superintendent

Please take a moment to fill out this survey regarding district masking policy. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1gXwAnzTadZ0xnK5QMUmlo-QrQnC407rkV1bzEjO0iL4xiA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Project Success will not be meeting today, Feb. 7, after school. We apologize for any inconvenience.

February 6, 2022 Dear Georgetown-Ridge Farm CUSD #4 families, I write to thank you for your patience and understanding as our district navigates the changes to the COVID-19 guidance and rules for Illinois schools. On Friday, February 4, 2022 an Illinois judge ruled on a lawsuit that has some implications concerning the wearing of masks for certain schools. I have reviewed the ruling from the court case and have attended legal webinars and zoom calls with area superintendents this weekend. What became clear is that we will need some time to review this information and develop a plan. Today I conducted a survey with our staff on their opinion of masking. I am very interested in your opinion on this topic as well. In a day or two, you will receive the opportunity to complete a survey. This survey will help us in our decision making. We ask for your continued patience as we develop a plan and for now, things will remain the same. I want to make the right plan for our staff, students, and parents. I will keep you updated. Sincerely, Dr. Jean Neal, Superintendent

The Georgetown-Ridge Farm School District will remain in Remote eLearning through Friday, February 04, 2022, due to the winter storm. Thank you!

Due to the winter storm forecast, GRF will be moving into Remote eLearning from home on Wednesday (02-02-22) and Thursday (02-03-22). Please refer to the website for Remote eLearning information at www.grf.k12.il.us Classroom teachers will also be utilizing the SeeSaw and Google Classroom platforms to provide information and expectations for students. GRF Bus Transportation to VASE, RSSP, Circle, and DACC students will not be provided. Thank you!

January 28, 2022 Dear Parents and Guardians, Since our return from the Winter break, we have seen a significant increase in Covid-19 positive cases. The surge in cases in January reminded me of the Spring 2020 Covid-19 outbreak. January has been a difficult month for our families trying to manage household members testing positive and associated quarantines. Here in District, we have all pulled together to cover classrooms and vital busing and food services. Despite the month of January being a Covid-19 “nail biter” for many of us, I am cautiously optimistic to report that we are seeing a steady decline in cases in District and across Vermilion County. Attached is a Vermilion County forecast image of Covid-19 cases. Please continue to be vigilant in personal hygiene, social distancing, and wearing masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Also, please do not send you children to school if they are sick and have Covid-19 symptoms or if they have been exposed to someone with Covid-19. Keep them home and notify the school for further instruction. Covid-19 symptoms include: Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny now, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever 100.4 or above. DID YOU KNOW? Free at home Covid-19 Tests: Households are still able to get 4 free COVID19 at home tests sent to their homes. https://www.covidtests.gov/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm School District is hosting a Vaccination Clinic next week: Location: Mary Miller Junior High School, 414 W West St. Georgetown, IL 61846 Date and Time: February 2, 2022 from 9am-1pm What Type of Vaccines Will be Available: Vaccines for kids 5-11 and Pfizer for 12+, Moderna and J&J available. Boosters Available. This is an IEMA/IDPH Clinic and is not part of VCHD clinics. Sincerely- Jean Neal. Superintendent

If you are planning on ordering a school lunch on Wednesday for the E-Learning day, please call your student's school office by 9:00 AM.

This is GRF. No In-Person Instruction tomorrow, Wednesday, 01-26-22, due to frigid temperatures. Students will participate in Remote E-Learning instruction at home. All students will be bringing home their computer devices to attend class virtually. Please refer to the website at www.grf.k12.il.us for remote learning instructions under the News Feed. If you would like your child to receive their school breakfast and lunch, please phone your child's school office to order the meals. Parents may pick up the meals between 11:30-Noon.

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) The Affordable Connectivity Program replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit on December 31, 2021. Learn more about the Affordable Connectivity Program by visiting fcc.gov The ACP is an FCC Program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. This benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, virtual classrooms, and so much more. All GRF students are eligible, we are a CEP school. You will need to select that your child attends the eligible CEP school from the dropdown menu. Please visit the following link for more information: https://thrillshare.com/s/news-district-georgetownridgefarmil/articles/emergency-broadband-benefit-ebb-district

We are asking all of our parents to complete the 5 Essentials Survey. You can complete the survey at this link: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/

This is GRF. To prevent the spread of Covid-19, please do not send your children to school if they are sick or have Covid-19 symptoms or if they have been exposed to someone with Covid-19. Keep them home and notify the school for further instruction. Covid-19 symptoms include: Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache Loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea Fever 100.4 or above.

Please see this document about the updated Covid guidance reguarding time out of school: https://5il.co/14cix

Our phone issue has been resolved. You can call the offices if needed.

Phones are currently down at all GRF schools. If you need to contact the schools, you may do so by email. We are working on correcting the problem, and hope to have phone service returned soon. We apologize for the inconvenience.

All schools, with the exception of Pre-k and early childhood will be in person beginning on Monday, January 10. Pre-K and early childhood programs will be remote through the end of next week. They will return to in-person on Tuesday, January 18. As a reminder, there will be no school on Monday, January 17 for MLK day.

This is GRF. Due to an increase in positive Covid cases today, Pine Crest Elementary Pre-K through 5th Grades will move into Full Remote Learning starting tomorrow, Tuesday, 1/4/22 through Friday, 1/7/22. No Project Success for the Elementary this week. MMJH and the HS will remain in In-Person learning at this time. All staff are to report to your buildings.

Georgetown-Ridge Farm CUD #4 was made aware of some concerns with the breakfast and lunch programs from a post on social media. Feel free to click on this link to review our current GRF Food Service guidance. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wMppAXB1tYrkThalwsITP13IXO5k304g8cuiMrKj4Jk/edit?usp=sharing

Reminder to all GRF families. Wednesday, December 8 is an 11:15 dismissal.