Flossmoor School District 161 parents are continuing to raise COVID-19 concerns as the 2021-2022 school year progresses this fall. Pam Jackson, a parent of twins in fourth grade and a kindergartener at Western Avenue Elementary School, was one of two parents to speak Aug. 30 during a board of education[Read More…]
Tag: pandemic
Homewood library board considers requiring employees to be vaccinated
The Homewood Public Library board of trustees reviewed COVID-19 protocols currently in place and the possibility of requiring all employees to be vaccinated. “I don’t know. It’s a slippery slope,” Colleen Waltman, library director, told trustees at the Aug. 18 meeting. Board members expressed concern about implementing a vaccine requirement[Read More…]
Cook County issues indoor mask requirement effective Aug. 23 (free content)
The Cook County Department of Public Health today announced on Aug. 20 that all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear a mask indoors, beginning on Monday, Aug. 23. The order requires that all people above age 2 who can medically tolerate a mask to wear one[Read More…]
State health officials announce smaller jump in COVID-19 cases last week
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported on Friday that 24,682 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois were recorded over the past week. While cases are still going up, the rate seems to be slowing. Last week’s number was an increase of 3,348 over[Read More…]
Back to School 2021: Teachers offer their perspectives on the 2020-21 school year
Much has been said and written about the past school year – the work with remote learning, COVID-19 restrictions, a part-time return to school this past spring. To get a sense of what all this meant for teachers, the Chronicle solicited responses to three questions from teachers in District 153.[Read More…]
Preckwinkle issues executive order mandating vaccines for Cook County employees (free content)
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued an executive order on Friday, Aug. 20, that will require all county employees to be vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19 by Oct. 15.
Some parents worry Delta variant makes back-to-school plans obsolete
The first days of each school year can be stressful for many parents of young children, but this year, a group of local parents is feeling the stress more acutely and are seeking help from school officials to address concerns about the safety of in-person learning. The cause of their[Read More…]
Cook County exceeds 11,000 COVID-19 deaths
Cook County officials marked a grim pandemic milestone on Wednesday. The medical examiner’s office confirmed the county’s 11,000th death due to COVID-19 infection occurred Tuesday night, more than 16 months after the first fatal case of the virus was confirmed here. The 10,999th death the county confirmed was a 31-year-old[Read More…]
Pritzker announces mask mandate for public schools, long-term care facilities
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on Wednesday that, effective immediately, public schools and long-term care facilities in the state would require masks, even for those who have been fully vaccinated. The emergence of the fast-spreading Delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 led to the decision, along with the fact[Read More…]
Mask back up: COVID-19 variant fuels new surge, return to mask requirements (free content)
It was good while it lasted. In early June, mask requirements for those fully vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19 were relaxed and local residents were enjoying seeing their neighbors smiles for the first time in more than a year. The feeling of liberation was welcome, but of course[Read More…]