As we come closer to another Homecoming season, we feel it is a good time to ask our school community to be aware and vigilant when incidents of intimidation, harassment and bullying occur.  It is important that everyone in our PORTA School community feels safe and welcome during our homecoming festivities and a sure way to make that happen is to practice kind behavior and compassion.

At our school, bullying of any kind, by any person, is unacceptable. All students should be free from worries about being bullied. Students who bully others must be taught other, appropriate ways of interacting with peers. The purpose of this letter is to provide you with information concerning the School District’s anti-bullying program and to encourage you to help us identify students who are being bullied.
The School Board policy on bullying begins with this goals statement:
Bullying, intimidation, and harassment diminish a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate. Preventing students from engaging in these disruptive behaviors is an important District goal.
Bullying is defined as follows:
Bullying means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following:

1. Placing the student in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s person or property.
   
2. Causing a substantially detrimental effect on the student’s physical or mental health.
   
3. Substantially interfering with the student’s academic performance.
   
4. Substantially interfering with the student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.
   

Bullying, intimidation, and/or harassment may take various forms, including without limitation: threats, stalking, physical violence, sexual harassment, theft, public humiliation, destruction of property, or retaliation for asserting or alleging an act of bullying.
We ask our school staff members to respond immediately and with compassion to a student who reports bullying or school violence. After evaluating the situation to determine if an immediate referral is warranted, a staff member will request the student report the incident to a building administrator. 
I we asked our staff members for their feedback and concerns specifically regarding locations that may be bullying hot spots needing additional supervision or monitoring or if there are any known bullies or targets of bullying in our building. We ask you to do the same thing. Please inform us if you know of any bullying hot spots in or around our school, or if you are aware of a known bully or target of bullying.
Finally, our staff members are requested to intervene immediately to stop a bullying incident. They will immediately contact building administration and or the district Resource officer if the incident involves a weapon or other illegal activity.
Below are some of the signs that a young person is being bullied:

• Does not want to go to school and refuses to explain the reason
  
• Talks about not having any friends
  
• Has unexplained bruises, cuts, scratches, or abrasions
  
• Has unexplained damage to clothing, possessions, books, etc.
  
• Frequently loses money or possessions
  
• Loses interest in school and/or has declining grades
  
• Becomes withdrawn and/or has stress or depression symptoms 
  

These signs do not necessarily mean your child is being bullied, but if present, ask your child whether he or she is being bullied. 
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Matthew W. Brue

​

As the new school year begins we would like to remind our families that PREK and Kindergarten students will be needing their physicals completed by 10/15 or they will not be allowed to return to school following that date.  In addition to physical requirements, the State of Illinois also requires vaccination records be up to date by October 15, 2022 as well.  Those students who have not be the requirements must be excluded after the 15th of October.
Vaccination Requirements The State of Illinois requires vaccinations to protect children from a variety of diseases before they can enter school. Students must show proof of immunization against up to 12 vaccine-preventable diseases (the number and schedule of these vaccinations depend on a student’s grade and age).

ILLINOIS SCHOOL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR

All students MUST have an Illinois physical exam and up-to-date immunization record on file for attendance to school. Now is a great time to schedule physical and immunization appointments so that your child will be ready to attend school in the fall.
Preschool:
● Physical exam on an Illinois form with immunizations is required every 2 years while in preschool.
● Complete up-to-date immunization record.

Kindergarten:
● Physical exam on an Illinois form within one year prior to the first day of school with an updated immunization record including:
Two doses of the Varicella vaccine and Two doses of the MMR vaccine,
Four doses of Polio Vaccine,
Four doses of DPT/Dtap Vaccine. Due October 15, 2022.

● Dental Exam on an Illinois Dental Exam form dated between November 15, 2021 – May 15, 2022 and turned in by May 15, 2023.
● Vision Exam by an Eye Dr. on an Illinois Eye exam form completed within the previous year and turned in by October 15, 2022.

1st Grade:
​No additional physical/Immunization requirements if up-to-date.

2nd Grade:
● Dental Exam on an Illinois Dental Exam form dated between November 15, 2021 – May 15, 2023 and turned in by May 15, 2023.

3rd, 4th and 5th Grade: No additional physical/Immunization requirements if up-to-date

6th Grade:
● Physical Exam (Sports Physical form not acceptable) must be on the State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Exam form and done within one year prior to the first day of school with up-to-date immunizations including One dose of Tdap vaccine,
One dose of Meningococcal vaccine after 11th birthday (If your child turns eleven after October 15, you must submit proof of an upcoming scheduled appointment)
Two doses of Varicella vaccine,
Two doses of MMR vaccine and
Three doses of Hepatitis B at the required intervals. Due October 15, 2022.
● Dental exam on an Illinois Dental Exam Form dated between November 15, 2021 - May 15, 2023. Must be turned in by May 15, 2023.

7th and 8th Grade: No additional physical/Immunization requirements if up-to-date.

Tired of traveling to your workplace, high cost of fuel, extended day? Consider joining the team at PORTA.
 
HS Chemistry and Physics Teacher
Elementary counselor/social worker
2-Individual aides—Starting hourly rate $15.69
2-1/2 time Individual Aide Positions--Starting Hourly Rate $15.69 
Teaching Subs--$115 per day
Aide Subs--$15 per hour
Sub Bus Drivers--$21.50 per hour

The PORTA Board of Education is accepting letters of interest to fill a member seat that was vacated as of July 26, 2022 by Board member Jackie Brant.
The appointee would serve on the board until the April 2023 election, at which time the PORTA Board will have Four 4 year seats and one 2 year unexpired term seat open for election.  Brant was elected to the board April 2021, leaving a two year unexpired term available for election. 
No Township/Range can have more than three members on the Board of education at any one time. Currently, members Bettis and Vice President Zanger reside in Township 18 Range 6, President Smith resides in Township 18 Range 8, Member Schoneweis Township 17 Range 8, Member Thornton Township 19 Range 6 and Secretary Henderson resides in Township 18 Range 7. 
The PORTA Board notes a board member must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 years old, be a resident of the district for at least one year prior to appointment, be a registered voter, must not be a school treasurer or trustee; and must not be a child sex offender. Those interested should submit a letter of interest to Board President Jeff Smith either at the administrative office, 17651 Bluejay Road in Petersburg or by email to mbrue@porta202.org by August 17, 2022.   
Upon receipt of qualified applicants, the Board of Education will hold a special meeting to interview candidates and then will officially appoint the new member at the regular meeting on September 15, 2022 at 6:00 PM.

The PORTA Board of Education typically meets at 6 p.m. the third Thursday of the month at the PORTA High School Library at 17651 Bluejay Road, Petersburg IL 62675.

​

Many families will see changes in school meals this fall. School nutrition professionals have worked tirelessly to get healthy food to children during COVID-19, and they will keep working hard to serve children healthy meals this coming school year. As we all get through this change, we ask everyone to be patient with school nutrition professionals and thank them for working to help children during such a tough time. 
​
Will all meals be free?
Schools had some flexibilities during COVID so they could serve all kids free meals.  Those options have expired for the PORTA School District, so the district school cafeterias will not serve all meals free anymore. Instead, families will do what they did before COVID.  Schools will take applications and use family income to qualify kids for free, reduce-price, or paid meals.

My child’s school is going to start charging for meals again, but I can’t afford to pay. Is there a way my child can get meals for free?

Yes. There are still many ways children can get free meals. Children are automatically eligible for free meals if anyone in their household gets SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR benefits. In some states, families with Medicaid may also qualify, depending on their income. The PORTA Schools have already notified our families who are direct certified and are eligible for Free Lunch. 
You can also fill out an application to qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, runaway youth, or children of migrant workers all qualify for free school meals when their household fills out an application. Children can also qualify for free or reduced-price meals through an application if their household’s income is under a certain limit. Schools will help you understand if you qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on the information you put on their school meal application.
For example, a child in a family of four with a yearly income of $51,338 or less would qualify for reduced-price meals. Families that believe their income is under the limit should fill out an application for free or reduced-price meals through their school.
Children who do not qualify for free or reduced-price meals may pay full price for a healthy breakfast or lunch at school.

It seems like my child’s school isn’t always serving what shows on the school menus. What is going on?
Schools are facing the same challenges many grocery stores and other places are having with getting all the food and supplies they need. When this happens, school nutrition professionals are doing everything they can to serve healthy meals to your child. Sometimes that means needing to swap out some foods for others because some foods are easier to get. Please be patient with the school nutrition professionals striving to serve our kids. They are committed to making sure our kids get the healthy meals they depend on during this challenging time.
School meals have to meet strong nutrition standards, and schools are continuing to work hard to serve students the nutritious, delicious meals they need to learn and grow.
How can parents and guardians help their children get healthy food when they are not in school?
USDA’s Team Nutrition has many resources to help parents and caregivers serve healthy food and teach children about eating healthy.

• Meet MyPlate introduces families to the MyPlate icon and includes a MyPlate menu planner. [Spanish Version]
• Snack Time! provides information about choosing snack foods and beverages with less solid fat, added sugars, and sodium (salt). Children can count family members' favorite ways to drink water. [Spanish Version]
• Be Your Best With Breakfast encourages families to eat breakfast and to check out the School Breakfast Program at their school (if available). A fun breakfast tracker and badge are included. [Spanish Version]
• Welcome to School Lunch! shares information about how school meals have gotten healthier and includes an activity for children to sort lunch foods into the five food groups. It also includes a “Color Adventure” challenge where families taste-test new fruits and vegetables of different colors. [Spanish Version]
• Move, Play, Have Fun! offers a table of fun physical activities that families can cross off as they complete them. [Spanish Version]

For other resources and food assistance programs, reach out to USDA’s National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (for English) or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (for Spanish). To find free summer meals for kids near you, visit USDA’s Find Meals for Kids site. In most states, you can also call 211 for help and services.

AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) helps low-income households pay for broadband service. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a federal government benefit program operated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The ACP will provide a discount of up to $30 per month towards broadband service for eligible households. The ACP is non-transferable and limited to one monthly internet discount. If the Program ends, or when a household is no longer eligible, subscribers will be subject to CASSCOMM’s regular rates, terms, and conditions.
Who is Eligible?
A household is eligible if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria:
 
*Has an income that is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines
 
*Participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline
 
*Participates in one of several Tribal specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal Head Start (only households meeting the relevant income qualifying standard), Tribal TANF, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
 
*Is approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision
 
*Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year
 
*Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider’s existing low-income program
 
Where can I find additional information and how can I apply for the ACP?
Please check out the CASSCOMM website https://home.casscomm.com/acp/ for more information or visit https://www.fcc.gov/acp for the FCC FAQ’s and the consumer application.
Consumer Complaint Process:  All consumers have a right to file a complaint with the FCC regarding the ACP supported service or difficulties enrolling in the ACP.  The FCC’s Consumer Complaint Center information is below.

• Phone Number:  1-888-225-5322
• Video Phone Number:  1-844-432-2275
• Website address:  https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov

​

The PORTA CUSD 202 Board of Education is conducting a search for a new superintendent.  The selection of a new superintendent is probably the most important decision a board of education has to make; therefore, the Board has hired the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) to assist in this process.
 
The Board of Education is seeking everyone’s input in the search process.  The Board requests that all staff, all parents and community members complete an online survey provided by the IASB.  The results will be tallied and used by the Board and Screening Team to develop a brochure to advertise the position.
 
The survey can be accessed at:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZC9YN2G
The survey deadline is:  June 12, 2022 at 11:45 p.m.
 
Thank you for taking time to complete the survey.

For a number of years we have been lamenting the fact that we are deep in a teacher shortage and it is at a crisis point here in the State of Illinois.  It is very difficult to pin point why we have such a shortage, especially when someone asks and giving a short answer is just not in the cards.  Below is an article written by Dr. Jim Rosborg McKendree University professor and retired Superintendent from Belleville #118 that does an excellent job of giving some history of our current shortage, reasons we are in the place we are and some potential solutions.  I hope you have the time to read this piece.
Thank you

A Short History of the Current Teacher/Administrator Shortage and Some Ideas How to Solve It
                                                          
Dr. Jim Rosborg
 
 
In the February 1 edition of the Wall Street Journal, Kathryn Dill wrote a compelling article entitled “Companies Are Hot to Hire Teachers Quitting in Droves." She stated that teachers are leaving the education profession to "work in sales, software, healthcare and training and other fields."  It is not surprising Dill stated that Covid protocols such as switching between online and classroom instruction, with the additional problems of teaching challenging students, and dealing with difficult parents and administrators, has led to a mass exodus of teachers in our profession. This departure should be no surprise in Illinois. The downward spiral of teachers and administrators leaving the profession began in 2010.  The elaborate teacher/principal evaluation process from the Charlotte Danielson framework, as well as further requirements from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) staff, created unnecessary burdens on educators. An additional major factor included no teacher license state-to-state reciprocity which discouraged teachers from coming to Illinois. Other issues causing the teacher shortage long before the Pandemic include the lack of social and emotional support, very few state incentives (such as teacher tuition scholarships as given in the 1960s and 70s), and low competitive salaries exasperated by Illinois having no State budget for three years.
 
Most of us know the history. The licensure division of ISBE, along with the Center for the Study of Educational Policy at Illinois State University, used the resources of a $6 million Wallace Foundation School Leadership Grant to force a major teacher and administrator licensure change in Illinois. This effort, which included a very unfair university-required entrance examination, titled the Teacher Basic Skills Test, was created specifically to reduce the number of licensed teachers in Illinois. The developers of this test were successful in achieving their goal. In the process, they used skewed data, such as including individuals that had retired or left the profession, to get support for their misaligned messages from educators and the public. The reduction of teacher licenses has had a cascading effect leading to a reduced number of principal licenses issued by the State, and, accordingly, fewer superintendent licenses.  Many educators also fell for their plan of attack in the spirit of reform. Several of the decisions were made by individuals who had never been principals and/or superintendents. Sadly, many highly respected educators, such as Dr. William Phillips at University of Illinois Springfield, Dr. Nick Osborne at Eastern Illinois University, Dr. Ken Jandes at American College of Education, Dr. Howard Bultinck at Northeastern Illinois University, and myself at McKendree University, were looked upon as obstructionists as we strongly disagreed with many of the efforts.  These individuals were all award-winning school administrators before they went on to university positions. Sad to say, The Center and ISBE at the time made little effort to listen to seasoned and honored practitioners.  Below are some of the key points we made in 2010:
 

1. We should not try to limit the number of “teacher certificates” (the terminology at the time) as many of the graduates go into other fields which then reduces the pool of teacher candidates. We also stated that it was very important that there was a rich resource of teacher candidates from which school districts could choose. Now, as expressed by Ms. Dill in the Wall Street Journal, teachers are qualified for other work force positions, and they are leaving the field of education. This concern has been verified by Dill as she cited data from the Labor Department that from January to November 2021 nearly 550,000 educators resigned their school jobs in the United States. Because of the efforts to minimize both administrative and teacher certificates (licenses) from 2010 – 2020, we currently do not have enough qualified candidates to replace individuals leaving the field. 
2.  Universities knew that their principal preparations programs included individual student candidates who might not want to be administrators but were completing administrative programs to become better teachers or teacher leaders.  Universities and school districts knew that the graduate-level principal preparation programs made these candidates better teachers and the program, notwithstanding teachers becoming administrators, was better for our profession. Sad to say, ISBE created a new rubric for principal preparation programs which had 181 items and 46 pages of requirements which forced university personnel to write more than 500 pages of explanation to ISBE to simply offer the principal program.  Many of the 181 items in the required one year internship led to positive experiences for future principals, however dozens of the items were nothing more than unnecessary “busy work” which resulted in significantly reducing the number of principal candidates.   All university principal programs had an intense curricular component. One of the most egregious components in the initial ISBE rules was eliminating Type 73 (guidance counselors, school psychologists, speech therapists, and nurses) from achieving the principal license. Under the current ISBE leadership, this has now been changed to allow Type 73 personnel to earn their principal licensure.
3. We stated the Basic Skills test (later changed to the Test of Academic Proficiency) was not fair and would adversely impact Teacher Education programs at the Universities. Why test language arts teachers and elementary teachers in Math areas such as analytical geometry and trigonometry to obtain university admission?  University passage rates on the state test declined from nearly 90% to 25%. Passage rates for minority students dropped to 10%. A significant number of potentially outstanding teachers were not allowed in the education field because of this unfair test. Some of my best teachers when I was superintendent of Belleville District #118 were those who did not earn straight A's in college. Also, I have not observed a dramatic increase of principal and teacher skill sets due to these restrictive efforts. Now, Boards of Education have dramatically fewer choices in hiring. Their main goal has shifted from employing the highest quality teacher candidates, to attempting merely to fill vacant positions A great deal of damage to education took place in these years. We are thankful that ISBE and the Legislature has ended this unfair entrance test. This is a big start to assisting the teacher and administrator shortage.
4. We said the decrease in the number of education candidates would force Universities to increase tuition. This happened. The results in increased university tuition costs are staggering. Increased tuition also has limited many outstanding economically challenged and disadvantaged students from applying to universities. This was verified by some of the initial research Dr. Patrick Rice and I performed in 2015. We are still doing research seven years later and the number of students going into education is not good. The most recent observation is the number of middle school teaching certificates being issued in Illinois is going down because of the change in licensure requirements. The new middle school licensure requirements need to be changed.  Note: This seven-year research shows the teacher shortage did not occur simply because of the Pandemic. 
5. We stated that more strict certification requirements would lead to a teacher shortage which would eventually lead to either no certification requirements or declining standards. In the recent Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) November/December Journal, authors Hans Andrews and William Marzano stated that quick fixes, like bringing back retired teachers (now in legislation), increasing current teacher workloads, bringing in foreign teachers (occurring in Arizona), and using paraprofessionals in licensed teacher positions, are already being discussed. 

Below is my most recent 2021 article published in Leadership Matters by the Illinois Association of School Administrators regarding the current teacher shortage. This was the 6th year of our research. The article is found on pages 10-14. The PDF version below just includes the article.  
https://user-39430906818.cld.bz/LM-april-2021-final-hi   I have included the article as it includes a discussion about possible alternatives to assist in slowing down the rapid decline in the number of teachers either staying or entering the profession. Current efforts at the legislative level are not going to be effective at reversing this trend. Teaching scholarships to enhance minority and financially challenged students and the overall pool of candidates, Growing Your Own programs, salary bonuses in subjects where there is a dire need of teachers, focused training programs, lowering the current retirement age of 67, etc. are achievable and worthy of discourse by decision-makers. Not included in the article are suggestions made in the latest Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) Teacher Shortage Survey titled, “Superintendents’ Perceptions of the Teacher Shortage” can be found at https://iarss.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Persistent_Educator.pdf.
 
 I might add other suggestions such as modifying the Danielson Teacher Evaluation Program as too much time is being taken away from the students, adding more needed social and emotional support, and finding additional funding to make teacher salaries more competitive. Teachers and administrators need specific and succinct rules from ISBE, the legislature, and the Governor to keep from being caught in the middle of Covid turmoil.  Increasing retired teacher workdays, now at the legislative level, is a nice effort but will not even come close in helping to end the current teacher shortage crisis.
 
Now is the time for immediate and real action that helps to significantly reduce or even eliminate the shortage. We know we have the Covid challenge which is a terrible situation. We have to take strong measures to overcome this devastating impact.
 
 I should note that Jason Helfer and Emily Fox, part of the current licensure leadership team at ISBE, have been very receptive to many of these ideas and have assisted my research during the last three years. Thank you for listening to my thoughts. I know I am passionate about this issue as I am in my seventh year researching this topic. I am now in my 50th year in education with experience at all levels P-20. My passion is that I want highly qualified teachers to teach in good work environments. I want my six grandchildren and all students to have the best teachers possible. I want Boards of Education to have choices in their hiring practices. I want all individuals, no matter their race, creed, or economic status to have the opportunity to become a licensed individual in the education field. The bottom line is that we need more action NOW on this topic to solve a problem that is not going away under current conditions.
 
Dr. Jim Rosborg
Semi-Retired
McKendree University and Belleville District #118
 
jtrosborg@mckendree.edu      
 
618-604-0515

Due to inclement weather predictions and poor timing of the impending winter weather, PORTA Schools will be canceled tomorrow February 17, 2022.  The second night of Parent/Teacher conferences will be moved to February 22 from 4-7 pm with a 2pm dismissal time for students on the 22nd.  If you have a scheduled time for conferences on Thursday please plan on attending Tuesday at the same time.  If you have a conflict please contact your teacher or building administrator.
The PORTA Board of Education meeting will be moved to February 22, 2022 at 7:00 PM. The showcase day at PORTA Jr/Sr High will be moved to Tuesday February 22nd as well. After school activities will be canceled. The High School dance will be canceled with a new date to be determined. 

​

Prior to returning to school tomorrow we would like to share some additional and clarifying information in relation to the recent court ruling on masking and quarantine.  We are aware of the ruling, and we are monitoring the situation.  We are aware the State has moved for a stay, and are awaiting further word on what will happen.  In the meantime, the District will abide by the Order.  The District will keep the community apprised when changes are made.  This Temporary Restraining Order on masking and close contact quarantine is temporary and is not the final word on these matters and in fact could be reversed, stopped or remain in force in the days to come.
Until we have some final decisions we understand there are many questions our families have at this time.  
To begin, The district has been and remains committed to being open for in-person learning after the initial outbreak and we have worked diligently to remain open for in-person learning throughout the pandemic to better serve our students and families. The district has followed changing CDC recommendations since the beginning of the pandemic. The recommended mitigations include universal indoor masking by all students, staff, teachers, and visitors to our school, regardless of vaccination status. In compliance with the court’s order, beginning tomorrow, the use of universal masking is highly recommended for all staff and students but is not required within the building.  Additionally, while the latest ruling diminishes current quarantine rules, those rules do not suggest that a child who is ill cannot be sent home and asked not to return until the illness has passed and the child is fever free for 24 hours. The school continues to have a duty to keep children safe and as such will follow prior established guidelines for students who are ill and/or have a fever.  The district will still maintain our ability to test students on a voluntary basis for parents if their students have been in contact with positive cases or are exhibiting symptoms.  We will also continue the voluntary Shield Testing on Thursday of each week.
As we move forward, please have patience, it is likely that a resolution to this issue will be presented in the near future and at that time we will continue to follow State and Local laws and the court’s decision.  Additionally, our practices will focus on safety for our students and  providing a quality learning environment.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact your building principal or myself at your convenience.

​
​
​

Late yesterday evening we shared that an Illinois judge ruled on a lawsuit filed by more than 700 parents across the state that challenged state-mandated COVID-19 mitigations.  Since we have learned the judge ruled that school districts in Illinois may not continue to follow mandates requiring masking and our current rules for quarantine. 
At this point there are still many unanswered questions that we hope to have answered in the next 24 hours and when we do we will report out to you again.  
At this point there is no plan to have a special or emergency meeting on this matter because it is clear the district is under order to not follow current mandates from the State of Illinois and IDPH.  The courts ruling would not constitute a valid reason to hold an emergency meeting, but of course this topic will be discussed at future meetings and if the need arises proper notification will be given prior to any meetings discussing this or any other important matter. 

More information will be shared with our community on this matter later this weekend.  

Due to hazardous road conditions PORTA Schools will be closed on Friday February 4th. 

PORTA Schools will be closed and all events will be cancelled on February 3, 2022.  If roads are open and passable by Friday Morning school will be in session on Friday February 4th.  Roads will be driven in the early morning on the 4th to determine if they are safe for our transportation services. If the need arises to cancel school we will do so by 5:30AM on Friday.

With the impending winter storm's arrival later this evening, the PORTA School district will utilize an emergency day on February 2, 2022.  Students and Staff will not be in session on the 2nd of February, all events will be cancelled and any practices should be voluntary and coaches should be extremely cautious if there is a plan to hold voluntary practices.  We realize this winter storm will interrupt many activities, most of which are nearing end of season tournaments.   Please be prepared for one or possibly even two additional emergency days following Wednesday February 2nd.  Depending on the timing of additional snow, cleanup and affects of the wind on our facilities we will make those decisions on a daily basis.  If we feel the need to extend the emergency day usage into Thursday February 3rd we will notify you in the early afternoon on Wednesday February 2nd.   Please be safe.

Well it looks as if this is a good time to discuss "snow days".  Last year we added remote learning to our daily live and how that affected snow days.  It would seem that it would be easy to halt snow days and move to remote learning on those days instead.  However, after having our fill of remote learning opportunities we believe that it is even more evident that every day we have students in the classroom with our professional staff, the better off our students will be.  Additionally, many times our snow days result from a last minute decision to cancel classes and our staff and students will likely not have the resources they need to fully engage in remote learning.   So, for those students who love the anticipation of having a snow day and all the fun that can be had during an unexpected day off from school, you are in luck "Snow Days" in the PORTA District are still a possibility.  But as you know, those days do not come often or easy as it is still important to hold school so that students can learn and parents can get to work uninterrupted.   As such here is our yearly information on how and why we might call a "Snow day".

Each Winter, usually in February or March we create and set the school calendar for the upcoming school year.  In fact the Superintendent's council and I just sat down recently to begin the process for next school year and the Board usually adopts that calendar in March or April of each year.  Each calendar must have 174 student attendance days and 180 teacher work days and an additional 5 emergency days built into the calendar.  Typically, you would see those emergency days built in on the last five days of the calendar and as we use emergency days we change those calendar dates to attendance days, extending the school year for each "snow day "we use.  At the point that the district uses all the emergency days the new calendar would show that students would be dismissed 5 days later than expected.  Also, after the 5 emergency days are used the district can begin requesting "ACT OF GOD" days.  If Act of God days are approved students are not required to attend any longer than the original 5 emergency days and the School District's General State Aid is not reduced.  
Back to the Calendar, we have used zero emergency days at this point in the year, so our expected last day for student attendance, at this time, is May 24, 2022.  We are planning on holding High School Graduation on May 27, 2022.  With the impending weather it is possible we will utilize one or more emergency days this week, which in turn will push the last day of attendance back by each emergency day used.
Ok, now the decision making process we use to close school because of weather related issues.  I guess I would start by saying there is no set guideline or policy that the PORTA District follows.  I will say that at-20 degrees wind chill I am very concerned about the safety of our students, especially when I see our youngest students on a daily basis showing up to school with only a hoodie on or lite jacket.  So, when we hit those marks of -20 degrees or above you can expect that we may cancel school.  Most often snow and unsafe roads are the main issue.  The process I use to determine if we have school  begins with me driving many of our bus routes and worst roads to determine safety.  Sometimes it only takes me a matter of minutes to make a determination, others an hour or more.  During my driving time I usually talk with all the local Superintendents, road commissioners and County Commissioner.  All of the driving and discussion takes place prior to 5:30 AM because as a rule I like to make the decision by that time and get parents notified.  Of course, depending on the timing of the weather we may make that decision earlier or slightly later, but not much later.  If the weather on the previous evening indicates that we will likely close due to poor road conditions, poor timing of snow fall, and/or that we will have difficulty clearing our lots and sidewalks we will try our best to make that decision the night prior.  One aspect to school closures that I have only recently had to contemplate is insuring staff can make it to school and if they cannot will be have enough subs to cover classrooms.  With the shortage of subs in the State of Illinois we have to be cognizant of how many subs we have available to insure classroom coverage, if we foresee a shortfall that will also be a factor in making a decision to close school.
Once the decision is made to cancel school I create a SchoolMessanger call, notify all supervisors and each of those individuals have a specific task to complete as well, some of which might be calling radio and television or starting a phone tree.  We have to consider what events are occurring and when, how we can reschedule those events and how much time and manpower it will take to make the parking lots and sidewalks safe before we allow anyone in the buildings. 
Closing school because of extreme weather is a matter that we take very seriously.  In the end we want to balance the need to have the students in class with there overall safety and well-being.  Attending a few extra days at the end of the school year is much easier than having students placed in danger in a bus accident or getting frost-bite while walking to school or waiting for a bus. 
 Thanks for taking the time to read this piece.

Dear parents and guardians, 

We are pleased to share that the isolation and quarantine period for students and staff members sick with COVID-19 or considered a close contact has been reduced to five days. 

Today, the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Board of Education and Sangamon County Health Dept announced that the agencies have adopted CDC guidance for P-12 schools that halves the isolation and quarantine period. The Centers for Disease Control updated its guidance for P-12 schools on January 6, 2022.   

As a result, effective immediately, PORTA CUSD 202 will implement the updated guidance. As soon as possible, we will contact staff, students and families who are currently impacted by a quarantine with a revised return to school plan.

Today’s announcement does not change the state of Illinois’ mask requirement for anyone inside school buildings. The Governor’s indoor mask mandate for school is still in effect until further notice. 

Staff and students who are currently impacted by a quarantine now have a revised return to school date. Please see the chart below to know when to send your child back to school.

If a student or staff member tested  positive or first had symptoms on the following date: The new return to school/work date is the following:
Monday, 1/3 Monday, 1/10
Tuesday, 1/4 Monday, 1/10
Wednesday, 1/5 Tuesday, 1/11
Thursday, 1/6 Wednesday, 1/12
Friday, 1/7 Thursday, 1/13
*Any date prior to 1/3/2022 may return on Monday, 1/10 **The date above is if a person is fever free for 24 hours and symptoms have improved.

Unvaccinated students and not boosted staff members who are close contacts are now required to quarantine for 5 days or can continue the "Test to Stay" program,  testing on days 1,3 and 5.   The following is a table with the revised return to school dates.

If an unvaccinated student or not boosted staff member was a close contact on the following: The new return to school/work date is the following:
Monday, 1/3 Monday, 1/10
Tuesday, 1/4 Monday, 1/10
Wednesday, 1/5 Tuesday, 1/11
Thursday, 1/6 Wednesday, 1/12
Friday, 1/7 Thursday, 1/13
*Any date prior to 1/3/2022 may return on Monday, 1/10 **Test on day 5 if possible

In addition, I want to pass along information from IDPH and CDC related to quarantine and recommended isolation periods. Below is summary information.

What is quarantine? 
Quarantine means staying home for at least 5 days after exposure to someone diagnosed with COVID-19. This is because someone can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 but may not show symptoms. Even though someone may not show symptoms, they can still spread the virus.

Quarantine is different from isolation. Isolation is used by someone who has symptoms of COVID-19, or tests positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, even if they don’t have symptoms. Isolation helps prevent transmission of the virus by separating people infected with the virus from those who are not infected.

How does this new quarantine guidance impact staff and students if they test positive for COVID-19?

​Good Morning,
After our weekly testing results were shared this morning we learned that we have 8 students who tested positive, which in the realm of things is not bad, unfortunately, those 8 are in separate classrooms.  With the addition of 8 classrooms we will not have enough testing supplies to fully test all our students who would qualify for the Test to Stay program.  So, at this time I have instructed the Building admin and nursing staff to test those students that we can and if a student is asymptomatic (no Symptoms) and unable to be tested to offer to parents the option of remaining at school as long as they are asymptomatic.  Any student who is symptomatic and does not meet the criteria to remain in school will trigger a call to parents and quarantine that student until we can return to our Test to Stay program.

I will continue discussions with Health officials today, as I have been in contact with them this entire week to determine what we can do to alleviate our situation.  If I am directed to act in a different manner we will comply with those directives.  

I know that this decision will not be popular with some of our staff and parents, but our experience from our own "test to Stay" program indicates the vast majority of students who enter the test to stay program test negative throughout the process and are able to remain in school.  Sending 8 classrooms, along with the three already in "Test to Stay'  home to quarantine is not a good option for students or teachers, by doing so would only move us closer to a remote/elearning scenario.

Again, I will confer with health officials and if directed to take another path we will comply.  I am sorry we are in such a controversial situation but we will work through this and move forward in one way or another.

  As I noted in the January 4th blog and call, the district has seen an increase in COVID cases, which is consistent with the State and rest of the world at this point.  We have been asked when or/if we will be moving to remote as a result?  Our answer to that is we will find every way can to remain in person.  While keeping track of student positive cases and quarantine is extremely important the real issue we are facing is staffing in our buildings.  At this point the most likely reason we would have to move to an eLearning situation would be due to a lack of staff available to teach and insure a safe learning environment. We, like all school districts, are short on substitutes in all areas but most important at this moment are substitutes in our classrooms whether for a teacher or aide.  Currently, when we exhaust our sub list we utilize internal staff to fill open positions due to quarantine.  In many cases our staff members are taken away from their normal position and placed in a classroom so that we have educators in our classrooms.  As such, staff are giving up their normal duties or are giving up their plan/free time so that we can remain in session. So, as a plea for help, if you or someone you know has an interest in subbing even if for only one day a week please consider doing so.  If you are interested in subbing or becoming Para Pro certified and would like more information on how to become certified please check out the following links:  Teacher Sub   or Para Pro Cert.  If interested you can call any of the school buildings and talk with an administrator and they too can help guide you in the right direction.

Earlier this week we also shared that the national shortage on testing supplies is negatively impacting our district.  Currently, we are days away from running out of those testing kits.  We have contacted the Sangamon county Health, IDPH and the State distributor of those supplies in hopes that we will receive a shipment soon.  If we are unable to retain those test kits, we are currently working out details on how we will continue the Test to Stay program with health officials.  This is a serious concern for us as at any given time we may have 50 to 100 students in the program rather than being quarantined at home.  The overwhelming majority of students and staff in the Test to Stay program never test positive and are able to remain in school as a result.  We will keep you up to date on this situation as we learn more from health officials.

Also in our last message we discussed the court hearing involving nearly 150 school districts, including PORTA.  Mr. Devore. on behalf of the plaintiffs. made motions to certify the class action and a temporary restraining order (TRO) at the hearing held Wednesday,  January 5th.  The court took the motion to certify the class under advisement.  If the court grants the class certification, it would mean that any order in this case (such as a TRO) would apply to all students in the district, not merely the named plaintiffs.  
The TRO hearing lasted until the end of the court day, but was not completed.  No ruling was issued and the hearing will be continued on another date.  The court has not yet set a date to continue the hearing, but indicated it will likely be later in the month of January, at the earliest.  I will let you know as soon as the date to continue the hearing is set.