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. 

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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.

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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.

As we are about ready to return to school tomorrow, January 4, 2022 I believe many are confused about the new guidance on quarantining for students and staff who are COVID positive.  Currently, the CDC has offered new guidance on a 5 day quarantine, with certain qualifiers, for those who have tested positive and are asymptomatic. Additionally, IDPH has also pushed those rules out and in both cases they have indicated the 5 day rule is for the general public and that school guidance is forthcoming.  So, unfortunately we are still expected to follow the 10 day quarantine rules we have followed so far this school year.  We do expect changes to those quarantine rules in the coming days or weeks and hope that those changes are friendly for keeping our students in school.   

Testing supplies for the Test to Stay program are in short supply.  We order our testing supplies through the State of Illinois and prior to winter break ordered 2000 tests for our program and only received 320 of those tests.  Obviously, this concerns us greatly as we have relied heavily on the Test to Stay program to keep students in school and expect to continue the program as long as the State requires quarantine.  We have since ordered more of the rapid tests and look forward to receiving a full order, if we do not we will insure you know how that impacts our our program and your children.  One item of particular note:  If your child was tested over break and was positive you should report that to your school nurse.  The reason we ask for that information is it allows us to exclude your student from testing (Weekly and Test to Stay) for a 90 day period.  This makes life easier for your child and helps to maintaining testing supplies at the school. 

As reported earlier this school year, the PORTA District was one of approximately 150 school districts who were named in a law suit concerning quarantine of students and masking mandates.  We are expecting some resolution to this law suit on the 5th of this month, as a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) hearing is set for this date. If the TRO is successful, the mask mandate for students will be lifted for a period of time while more legal actions on the issue are considered.  Additionally, if the TRO is successful quarantine rules will be changed significantly and at this time we do not know how that will impact our current process.  If the TRO is unsuccessful, we will continue following CDC/IDPH and Sangamon County guidelines.

It is almost a certainty that we will be negatively impacted by this sudden surge in COVID cases due to the Omicron strain.  Hopefully, this newest variant quickly moves on and we can have some relief.  We ask that you have patience with our district.  Our focus is and has been finding ways to keep students in school while working through mandates and guidelines forced upon us. 

I am writing to inform you and not to perpetuate or cause any panic. The PORTA School District and every school district in Illinois and the United States, for that matter, has been made aware of a circulating TikTok post. This Post was not a direct threat and alluded to a nationwide “school shooting and bomb threat for every school in the USA even elementary schools” that will supposedly take place on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. The original post is general and not directed at a specific school. So far, the origins of this post are unknown and there is no indication this post has specified targeted school district.
This information has been shared with our District and school administration, and local law enforcement.
Please know that, in conjunction with local law enforcement, we will continue to monitor social media. There are no indications of known threats within PORTA Schools at this time. I am sharing this notice out of an abundance of caution and as a precautionary measure. 
The safety of our students and staff is our priority. All safety concerns to our school or students are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. Since returning to in-person learning this school year, schools nationwide are dealing with school safety concerns that seem to be heightened and causing anxiety, fear and nervousness among our staff and students.
Here are some key points about making good decisions and easing these concerning feelings:
• Be sure to report any concerning message you hear or see in person or online to a trusted adult, school administration or staff member, or police.
• The Safe2Help Illinois is a 24/7 program for students to share school safety issues, find resources to get help and find encouragement to help others. Reports can be submitted here.
• Please do not promote social media rumors, instead, tell us.
• If you feel uncomfortable about something you read, something you hear, something you
see please, report it so we can do something about it.
• Know who is connecting with your children online and set rules for social networking, instant messaging, e-mailing, online gaming and using webcams.
PORTA CUSD 202 is committed to keeping our schools a safe place for learning, and we will work together to continue to keep it that way.
Please don’t hesitate to contact the school office if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Matthew W. Brue
Superintendent

I wish I could be delivering good news to all of our PORTA Parents this Holiday week, but unfortunately, we are being forced to extend our remote learning for grades 7-12 for an additional week.  For a multitude of reasons, the work required to open the building after the Art Room Fire last Tuesday will not be completed sufficiently to allow students and staff to return.  As such, November 29-December 3rd will be remote learning for all 7-12 grade students and we will continue to follow the current schedule and all students will be expected to report into each class as they have this past week.  If your child is having difficulty with internet connection, please have them contact the building principal and accommodations will be offered.  
As for events that will be occurring here at the High school, we will likely be adjusting the Fall Play and any home sporting events scheduled for the week of November 29th.  Participants will be contacted by Coaches and Sponsors in regards to changes in game and practice venues. 
Prior to students returning to in person learning the District and our Insurance carrier will ensure that air quality tests are completed and in good order to return and that all areas where students will have access will be safe.  Additionally, the Regional Office of Education will tour the building to evaluate if occupancy is warranted.  
Again, I apologize for any inconvenience, this has been a trying time for our students and staff and extremely frustrating for the administrative team and Board of Education.  We will continue to update our families as we learn more about our timelines and progress.  As always, if you have any questions or need help with connectivity please feel free to contact us and we will help in any way possible. 

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The vast majority of the building is overwhelmed with the smell of smoke and most of the building has soot damage of some nature.  We have partnered with an extreme Response Team from ServPro who have evaluated the building and are planning to cordon off specific areas to reduce spread of the smoke smell and will also implement air scrubbers to help reduce the smell.  We have also had an air quality team involved today (11/17) who will monitor air quality and perform forensic analysis throughout the restoration process to ensure everyone is safe.  
Insurance companies were notified early yesterday morning and adjusters have been assigned and we are currently waiting for approval from those organizations to begin full retoration efforts.  We hope to have the approvals by the end of today, November 17, 2021.  Depending on the specific area, restoration efforts might include removal/replacement of ceiling tiles and cleaning from top to bottom of that room, to mild cleaning and placement of air scrubbers to reduce odor.  All HVAC ducts and units will be cleaned.  Furniture, carpeting, cloth seating will all be evaluated and either cleaned or replaced.  
We have been told to expect a team of 50 to 70 workers completing the restoration in the next 10 to 12 days, with the goal of allowing students to return to in person learning on November 29th.  Restoration will continue beyond the 29th especially in the immediate area of the current art room and shop areas.  As we get closer to the 29th, we will have a better understanding of classrooms that are available for use in these areas and will create a plan to ensure we have adequate teaching and learning spaces for our students and staff.

Our insurance company will have a Cause and Origin expert in the district today or tomorrow to determine cause for the fire and once they have their investigation completed restoration and remodeling work will begin on the Art room.  

7-12 Grade students will begin remote learning on Thursday November 18, 2021 with the goal to return to in person instruction on November 29, 2021.  Students will follow their normal schedule and login to “Google Meets”.  If connectivity is an issue please contact your building principal and continue to monitor your student email accounts for more updates.  

At this time the pool is fully accessible, if you have questions in regards to lessons, rental, lap swim or water-aerobics please contact Rachel Frost. 

The Tentative plan will be to move the Fall Play to the weekend of December 4, 2021, rather than this coming weekend.

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Good Afternoon, As you know we have had a significant fire in the building, mainly contained in the HS Art room, but we have smoke and soot damage throughout the majority of the building.  In an abundance of caution, we will need to move to a “Full Remote” schedule for grades 7-12 beginning Thursday of this week and plan on returning to school for in person learning on November 29th if clean up goes as planned.. Remote learning will follow a regular bell schedule. PORTA Central and Petersburg Elementary will continue attending in person.  We will have a technology and personal item pickup day beginning Wednesday November 17, 2021.  Students may ride the bus to school to retrieve belongings and technology and we will transport you back to home following your pickup.  Students who transport themselves may come to the building from 8:15 Am to Noon to pick up technology and personal items from their lockers in preparation for remote learning.  While we are very limited on the number of hotspots we have available, if connectivity is an issue for your family we will try to accommodate your students in some fashion if necessary.  Please check your email for additional information from Mrs. McMahan regarding instructions for remote learning.

All events/Teams/Activities will be contacted by their coaches and sponsors for information about performances, practices and competitions, moving forward.  

The Board of Education meeting for tonight has been moved to Petersburg Elementary Cafeteria.

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While the district's Covid-19 statistics are good and in fact we didn't have a new case of Covid in our staff in a full month's time, we have just recently been impacted by Covid positive cases in our Transportation Department.  As such, we ask that you be patient with our PORTA Transportation team over the next week to 10 days as we are working on a very limited staff.  Pick-up and drop-off times might be affected and some routes might need to be combined or changed as the week progresses depending on availability of staff. Currently, all routes are covered but it is very possible that we may need to combine routes and/or alter pick-up and drop-off times in the future, if we have additional Covid Quarantine issues.  We would encourage you to transport your students to and from school if you are able and are concerned about the uncertainty of your drop-off and Pick-up times.  Moving forward if we feel you will be impacted we will notify you as soon as possible so that you are aware of any changes. 
Thank you in advance for your patience.

By the time this Blog becomes available to all parents and community members I am sure we will all be very aware that Illinois schools are being required to provide Feminine products in School district restrooms regardless of the gender of those restrooms.  For a number of years, school districts in Illinois have been tasked with providing adequate facilities for all students including transgender students.  In most cases, districts have offered alternative settings, restrooms designated as unisex and allowing access to facilities that best meet the needs of the individual student.  In May of this year the Illinois Legislature passed the legislation shared below, requiring free Feminine sanitary products be made available in all restrooms used by students grades 4-12.   As such, school districts across Illinois are adding feminine product dispensers in all restrooms, PORTA has also recently completed installing dispensers in required restrooms at the Jr/Sr High.  We apologize for the distraction this will cause within our community.  At this time we are required to meet this latest law and will continue to follow the Laws of Illinois to the best of our ability.  While we know, there are strong opinions on this matter we would encourage you to reach out to your legislators to express your personal opinions on Public Act 102-0340.  Thank you.


Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 as follows: (105 ILCS 5/10-20.63) Sec. 10-20.63. Availability of menstrual feminine hygiene products. (a) The General Assembly finds the following: (1) Menstrual Feminine hygiene products are a health care necessity and not an item that can be foregone or substituted easily. (2) Access to menstrual feminine hygiene products is a serious and ongoing need in this State. (3) When students do not have access to affordable menstrual feminine hygiene products, they may miss multiple days of school every month. (4) When students have access to quality menstrual feminine hygiene products, they are able to continue with their daily lives with minimal interruption. (b) In this Section: "Menstrual hygiene products" "Feminine hygiene products" means tampons and sanitary napkins for use in connection with HB0156  menstrual cycle. "School building" means any facility (i) that is owned or leased by a school district or over which the school board has care, custody, and control and (ii) in which there is a public school serving students in grades 6 through 12. (c) A school district shall make menstrual feminine hygiene products available, at no cost to students, in bathrooms of every school building that are open for student use in grades 4 through 12 during the regular school day the bathrooms of school buildings. (Source: P.A. 100-163, eff. 1-1-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.) (105 ILCS 5/34-18.56) Sec. 34-18.56. Availability of menstrual feminine hygiene products. (a) The General Assembly finds the following: (1) Menstrual Feminine hygiene products are a health care necessity and not an item that can be foregone or substituted easily. (2) Access to menstrual feminine hygiene products is a serious and ongoing need in this State. (3) When students do not have access to affordable menstrual feminine hygiene products, they may miss multiple days of school every month. (4) When students have access to quality menstrual feminine hygiene products, they are able to continue with ​their daily lives with minimal interruption. (b) In this Section: "Menstrual hygiene products" "Feminine hygiene products" means tampons and sanitary napkins for use in connection with the menstrual cycle. "School building" means any facility (i) that is owned or leased by the school district or over which the board has care, custody, and control and (ii) in which there is a public school serving students in grades 6 through 12. (c) The school district shall make menstrual feminine hygiene products available, at no cost to students, in bathrooms of every school building that are open for student use in grades 4 through 12 during the regular school day the bathrooms of school buildings. (Source: P.A. 100-163, eff. 1-1-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.) Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law