This page provides all current information for and plans for safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services during the 2021-22 school year. This page is updated often, please check back for updates.
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Most of the Governor’s Executive Orders for COVID-19 mitigations in Illinois schools have now expired, which included compulsory masking, contact tracing, and exclusion from school. The only school-related Order that remains is mandated vaccination and testing for school personnel, which includes regular visitors and volunteers.
Accordingly, we are making the following adjustments today:
Notice letters for COVID-19 cases will only be sent when an outbreak has been identified
We will no longer provide masks
Our COVID-19 monitoring dashboard will be removed
We will continue to work with the Kane County Health Department to closely monitor student symptoms for COVID-19 cases and outbreaks. Additionally, the following COVID-19 mitigations remain in place:
Optional face masking
Increased classroom ventilation and air volume
Regular handwashing
Staying home when sick
Any person who exhibits COVID-19-related symptoms should stay home until test results are known or they isolate at home for 5 days if not testing.
Please consult our Report an Absence webpage for guidance on when students must stay home and when they may return to school.
As was the case before the pandemic, students must be free of fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, without use of medication, for 24 hours before returning to school.
We recommend following the CDC’s guidance for domestic and international travel.
Per Illinois Executive Order, school personnel must be vaccinated for COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing.
Students are highly encouraged to get up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines, which are readily available at the Kane Vax Hub. The CDC provides answers to frequently asked questions, busts myths, and recommends children over 5 years or older to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Masks are optional in our schools as of February 28, 2022, including school buses, for all students, staff, and visitors. Anyone may continue to wear a mask based on personal preference or personal level of risk.
The District follows the school exclusion protocols recommended by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Early childhood (pre-K): Morning 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM; Afternoon 12:40 PM to 3:10 PM
Elementary: 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Rotolo Middle School: 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Batavia High School: 7:35 AM to 2:30 PM
Please see Health Services for all necessary medical forms or information. Specifically, State of Illinois requirements must be met before entering kindergarten, 6th, 9th, and 12th grades.
Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, general school supplies for grades K-5 will be provided by the school. Students are still responsible for bringing personal items (including backpacks and headphones). There is no additional fee for school supplies, which is now incorporated into student registration fees ($150).
Students in the Early Childhood Program, pre-K, at Alice Gustafson School do have a school supply request list. The details can be found HERE.
Rotolo Middle School supply lists can be found HERE.
Batavia High School students should arrive at school prepared to learn with a couple of pens/pencils, a notebook, headphones/earbuds, and their fully charged Chromebook. Some courses may require additional supplies, which will be requested by the teacher either before the start of school or during the semester.
The Board of Education has recently simplified its student registration and activity fees.
We recommend, but do not require, sharing COVID-19 vaccination records with schools.
Remote learning is not an option for the 2021-2022 school year. Students under isolation or quarantine will be supported remotely with appropriate learning tools and activities while away from the classroom.
Please refer to the District’s homebound policy for students medical conditions that may prevent them from attending school.
See the 2021-22 academic calendar and the pre-kindergarten calendar for student attendance days. Check the District Events Calendar for events throughout the school year.
Click HERE for the Activities Page on the BHS website.
Click HERE for Clubs and Activities on the RMS website.
Information about elementary offerings is communicated in the school newsletters.
BPS101 offers a half-day kindergarten program (AM or PM) paired with an enrichment program for the second-half of the day. Kindergarten enrichment students will engage in work and play in-line with the themes and skills developed in the regular half-day kindergarten program.
In response to new CDC guidance, Governor Pritzker announced Friday afternoon that masks are no longer required in Illinois schools. The CDC has introduced a new framework for measuring COVID-19 in the community, and current transmission in Kane County is low.
Accordingly, as of February 28, 2022, masks are optional in our schools, including school buses, for all students, staff, and visitors. Anyone may continue to wear a mask based on personal preference or personal level of risk.
We no longer have the ability to maintain universal masking in our schools. Coupled with the significant downward trend in new cases, we have decided to suspend enforcement of the indoor mask mandate. Masks remain recommended and everyone should wear them in our schools, especially when social distancing cannot be maintained. More…
Beginning tomorrow, February 3rd, we are streamlining student absence reporting and communications related to COVID-19 quarantine, isolation, and close contacts.
Accordingly, if your student is absent with symptoms associated with COVID-19, we may send you an electronic questionnaire to assist us in determining when your student may safely return to school. Your prompt attention to this questionnaire, if received, is appreciated.
Please note that any student who exhibits COVID-19 symptoms must stay home until test results are known and/ or they isolate at home for 5 days.
To reduce the workload of our school nurses, we ask that you first consult our COVID-19 webpage for guidance on when students must stay home and when they may return to school after exhibiting symptoms.
On January 6, 2022, the CDC updated their COVID-19 guidance for schools. The Illinois Department of Public Health has announced that they plan to update their guidance for school settings to align with recently released CDC guidance soon. Until new IDPH guidance is released, protocols for BPS101 students remain unchanged. Please be prepared for your students to continue to wear a mask at school and stay home if they have any COVID-like symptoms.
The CDC guidance allows for a shorter period of time that students must be excluded from school under certain conditions. If your student has recently received a COVID diagnosis, is experiencing COVID-like symptoms, or has to quarantine because they are a close contact to a positive case, they will need to be excluded from school on Monday, January 10th. If your child is eligible for a shortened quarantine, you will be contacted on Monday to explain the conditions and date of return.
With COVID-19 cases on the rise again in our area, we ask that you review this document if anyone in your household has been exposed to COVID-19, if anyone in your household has COVID-19 symptoms, or if anyone in your household needs a COVID-19 test. Student and staff safety is our number one priority. Let’s enter this holiday season healthy!
In addition, the Kane County Health Department released this document to help families understand what to do if they have symptoms, or if they have been exposed to a person that has tested positive for COVID-19.
We understand that so many have questions about when their student may return to school after traveling. BPS101 continues to follow the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Kane County Health Department’s guidelines. At this time, we have been advised by both agencies to follow the CDC’s guidance (links provided below).
Additional information was provided as we near the start of the SHIELD Illinois rollout in the District. More…
BPS101 is partnering with SHIELD Illinois (University of Illinois) to provide optional, weekly PCR screening testing to students in grades K-5. This is a non-invasive saliva test that will be conducted on-site during the school day. Families have a choice whether they want to participate and are being asked to indicate their interest by opting into the program. If you do not want to participate, there is no action for you to take at this time. MORE…
We are coming to you today with some stories from around the District.
Homecoming Parade
Come join us for the Homecoming Parade on Wednesday, September 22 at 5:00 PM! There’s a new route this year! The Parade will start on Batavia High School’s north side (Wilson Street Entrance) and wrap around the East to Lincoln Street, with the return to BHS along Main Street. This route helps to alleviate road closures throughout downtown Batavia. MORE…
Today we are focusing our message on student and family engagement. There are so many ways for students and families to be active within and outside of school hours through PTO’s, clubs, and activities. We’ve missed many opportunities over the past year and a half to engage with other families in the District. But now, many extracurricular activities are back! MORE…
This week we just had a couple of reminders about the schools being closed for a teacher institute day on September 3rd and September 6 in observation of the Labor Day holiday. In addition, we are asking parents/guardians to log in to the online PowerSchool parent portal to enter or update registration information including emergency contacts. We rely on the accuracy of this information when we are trying to contact families, sometimes in an emergency. More…
BPS101 is grateful to partner with families as we team up to help students learn and grow. One COVID-related change that had a positive impact on our school community last year was virtual open houses and conferences. This was a big change, but we received positive feedback from families. Attendance was up at these events, as families had the flexibility and could often participate without missing work or battling to get a parking spot. More…
It was wonderful to see all of the preparation by you, students, teachers, and school staff come together for a successful first day of school. We are so thankful for you for partnering with us to bring back students safely today! Without you, this would not have been possible. Check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for a couple of opening day photos, and follow us for up-to-date messages. More…
Check back on this page for updated FAQs throughout the week as we approach the start of the school year.
Today’s District Weekly message to families included information from our tech team about Chromebooks, directions about ordering breakfast and lunch, and reminders about attendance. More…
Two weeks from today, BPS101 students will begin the 2021-22 school year where we look forward to our students, once again, being able to learn alongside their teachers and classmates.
Governor JB Pritzker announced an Executive Order on August 4, 2021 that supports safe in-person learning and requires that masks be worn indoors by all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Everyone must also wear a mask on our busses. School busses are considered public transportation and follow the federal mandate for masking. Masks will not be required outdoors but are encouraged for unvaccinated individuals outdoors in crowds. More…
The anticipated information about BPS101’s COVID-19 mitigation plan will be coming within the next week. The CDC changed their guidance yesterday, and updates from the State Board of Education will follow. This is a good reminder that guidance will continue to change throughout the school year, and flexibility will be necessary. The health of BPS101 students and staff remains our top priority.
We do know that the full return to in-person learning for our students will remain in effect. As stated by the CDC and the ISBE, in-person learning is necessary to provide the best quality education to students, and we will strive to preserve it throughout the 2021-2022 school year with heightened safety and health protocols as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. More…
The Centers for Disease Control and the Illinois Department of Public Health have updated their COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools.
The main message that we are sharing with you today is that our schools will be open full-time for all students in the fall. This has been our goal since the beginning of the pandemic, and BPS101 is pleased that the guidance from the CDC and IDPH will allow for the full return of all students.
Other details still need to be finalized, such as which of the layered prevention strategies BPS101 will be required to implement in August. Some of the prevention strategies include masking, physical distancing, and screening testing. The strategies may vary depending on the level of community transmission and vaccination rates. More information will be provided in early August.
Batavia Public Schools is looking forward to welcoming all students back next fall. The Illinois State Board of Education has confirmed their commitment to in-person learning and Batavia schools also believe that a return to in-person learning is in the best interest of students, their learning, and our community.
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