Q. How do families report an absence? (Updated 10/21/21)
Call to your school attendance line to report an absence. Parents/guardians should state the reason for absence, and if illness related, note the diagnosis and the current symptoms of illness being exhibited each day. For COVID-related absences, a school employee or nurse will reach out to families to further discuss their individual case and actions needed.
Q. When do I need to keep my child home? (Updated 10/21/21)
Keep your child home and report the absence for ANY of the following circumstances:
- Your child, vaccinated or unvaccinated, is experiencing a new onset of one or more symptoms on the COVID symptom exclusion list, OR
- Your child, vaccinated or unvaccinated, is subject to school exclusion per the guidelines of the Kane County Health Department, OR
- Your unvaccinated child, lives in a household where any member is ill with COVID 19 symptom(s) and was not tested or has ANY pending test * OR,
- Your unvaccinated child is in a household with a member who has tested positive for COVID-19.
*Currently, IDPH allows unvaccinated family members to come to school if the ill person in the household was tested within 24 hours of symptom onset as long as there is not a high suspicion the ill person has COVID-19 (see next FAQ).
Q. Can other children in my household go to school if someone has a COVID test pending? (New 10/21/21)
Vaccinated children may attend school if there is a pending test in the household as long as they do not have any COVID symptoms themselves.
Unvaccinated children may attend school if a household member has COVID symptoms and that person has been tested within 24 hours of developing symptoms.
Unvaccinated household members need to stay home if the ill person was NOT tested within 24 hours of symptoms or if there is a high suspicion the ill person has COVID-19. The school nurse, health department, or medical provider may determine if there is a high suspicion.
For families who do not seek medical attention, or testing, the ill person and all unvaccinated household members will be excluded from school for at least 10-14 days depending on circumstances.
Q. What will happen if my child is identified as a close contact during the school day? (Updated 10/21/21)A building administrator, or designee, will reach out to let you know of the close contact. You will need to pick up any unvaccinated children who have been identified as a close contact. Further follow-up information and directions will be conveyed in person or via email.
Q. What will happen if my child has COVID symptoms? (Updated 10/21/21)
If at school, the school nurse will contact you to come and pick up your child. Ill children should stay home from school.
You will be advised to contact your primary health care provider to discuss your plan of care/ COVID testing. Alternatively, you may also seek testing through local testing sites. Testing is strongly recommended for ALL Persons with COVID-19-like symptoms, regardless of vaccination status.
If you do not have a health care provider, contact the Kane County Health Department (630-208-3801 or email to
[email protected]) or the VNA (630-892-4355) for assistance. For information related to free COVID testing sites visit:
https://www.dph.illinois.gov/testing.
Important information: In the school setting, home tests are
not accepted by the Kane County Health Department. Medical providers may
NO longer write for an alternative diagnosis without COVID testing for acute illnesses or a new onset of a symptom not attributed to a documented pre-existing condition.
Documentation required to return to school: Parents must provide documentation related to a Negative COVID-19 test for the symptomatic individual. It is also important for parents to speak to their doctor and report to the building nurse for guidelines related to other illnesses.
Q. What is the current COVID symptom screening list?
- Fever (100.4 F or higher)
- New onset of moderate to severe headache
- Shortness of breath
- New cough
- Sore throat
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- New loss of taste or smell
- Fatigue from unknown cause
- Muscle or body aches from unknown cause
Q. Can I use an at-home COVID test kit?
The Kane County Health Department does not allow school districts to accept the results of an at-home COVID test. Therefore, using an at-home test kit may delay the health department’s investigation and delay the release for children to return to school.
However, if any member of a household is administered an at-home test and the result is positive, please contact the school and keep your child and other unvaccinated household member home. The Kane County Health Department will provide further guidance in these instances.
Q. What will happen if my child is identified as a positive case? (Updated 10/22/21)
If your child has received a positive antigen or PCR COVID-19 test, please keep your child home and call the attendance line to report this information. You will be contacted by the school nurse who will further discuss your child's case. Schools are to exclude positive individuals for at least 10 calendar days from onset of symptoms, returning after the ten calendars days AND for 24 hours with no fever (without fever reducing medication) AND improvement of symptoms.
Q. Will contact tracing be in place this school year? (Updated 10/21/21)
Yes. Kane County Health Department (KCHD) will work in conjunction with schools to implement case investigation and contact tracing to promptly identify, isolate and quarantine cases and close contacts. Pursuant to 77 Ill. Admin Code 690.361, districts and schools are required to investigate the occurrence of cases and suspect cases in schools and identify close contacts for purposes of determining whether students or school personnel must be excluded from school. In accordance to Executive Order 2021-25, schools have the authority to exclude students and school personnel from school premises (including in-person instruction and extracurricular events) when a student or school personnel is:
1. A confirmed or probable case of COVD-19 – OR –
2. A close contact to a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 – OR –
3. Exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.
Q. Do fully vaccinated individuals need to be excluded from school if they are a close contact? (New 10/21/21)No, fully vaccinated individuals do NOT need to be excluded from school after contact with someone with COVID-19 unless they have symptoms of COVID-19.
Per CDC guidance, they should monitor for symptoms for 14 days following exposure, are recommended to be tested 5-7 days after exposure (even without symptoms) and continue to wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.
Students and staff need to continue to follow universal masking requirements in the school setting as determined by state and local health authorities.
CDC guidance for fully vaccinated people:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html Q. How will parents be notified of positive cases in the school setting?
Parents should refer to the COVID-19 dashboard on the District’s website, which will be updated weekly. Schools will no longer send emails to all families regarding positive cases in a particular school.
Q. Will students be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine prior to returning to school in the Fall?
Full COVID-19 vaccination status will not be required for students but is encouraged. The CDC is naming vaccination as the number one prevention strategy. To sign up for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment, please visit
KaneVax.org or call 855-4-KANEVAX (855-452-6382). You may also have access to the vaccine from your family medical provider or local pharmacy.
Q. If I choose to get my student vaccinated against COVID-19, do I need to inform the school?
It is not required that you inform the school, but it is requested. If your child has been fully vaccinated and you wish to share that information with the school, please make a copy of either their CDC vaccination card or a record from their physician and upload the file into Home Access Center by following these steps:
1.
Log into
Home Access Center at this link2.
Click on the “Registration” icon and then “Update Registration” tab
3.
Click on the “***Click here for Data Verification*** link
4.
Go to section labeled “Documents: Birth Certificate/Two Forms of Residency” and use the “Click here to upload new file” link to begin uploading documentation
5.
Click “Submit” at the end for the form to be submitted
File Uploading Tips: - Most file formats will be accepted when uploading into the system (.PDF, .JPG, .PNG, etc.)
- Before uploading, name the file according to the student and its content (Example: LastNameFirstNameVaxCard)
- Do not include any symbols or special characters in the file name
Need Help? Please contact Home Access Center support via email at
[email protected] or by phone at 630-463-3097.
This option will be available in HAC throughout the school year, so if you are planning to have your child vaccinated in the future, you may follow these steps when their vaccination is complete.