Schools
Southland College Prep/Matteson School Dist. 162 Plans to Succeed
Hundreds of home test kits distributed through Saturday afternoon to families of 3,000 students; return to classroom learning Monday morning
RICHTON PARK, ILL. – Southland College Prep Charter High School and District 162 greeted hundreds of families with students Saturday providing test kits to assure a safe re-entry into classrooms Monday.
With hundreds flowing through the campus parking lots Saturday, some families were on site to continue its vaccination series and others to pick up home test kits for a “cleared” return to school Monday, January 10.
Families were instructed to self-administer the tests on Sunday. Pick up on Saturday brought the total of families served to 98 percent for the more than 3,000 students.
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Students have been picking up test kits all week to gain access for final exams and a normal Monday morning return to onsite classroom learning.
Dr. Blondean Y. Davis, Superintendent of Matteson School District 162 and CEO of Southland College Prep Charter High School, was on hand early Saturday to oversee management of test kit distribution and greet and thank families for their efforts.
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With a plan to keep her students in schools, Dr. Davis announced last week:
In our efforts to make our environment at Southland as safe as possible from the COVID-19 virus; we are requiring all faculty, staff, and students to return with a negative COVID test result. We truly understand that it may be difficult to get a test at this time and that is why we are providing students with at-home COVID testing kits. These testing kits will be available for pick up at Southland on Monday, January 3, 2022 beginning at 7:45 am and ending at 4:30 pm. In order to sit for the final exams or return to school on January 10, 2022, proof of a negative test result MUST be provided to the school.
The clinic is conducted by the staff of Emerge Med Staffing led by its CEO Richard Watson, M.D., FACEP. Dr. Watson is board certified in emergency medicine and a fellow in the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Dr. Davis has been at the forefront of efforts to reach community members since last summer, hosting weekly clinics and spreading the word through ads, publicity and social media.
“Despite the recent resurgence with the Omicron variant, vaccines are working and our school families are staying the course,” said Dr. Davis. “We anticipate keeping the children at their desks until the end of the school year.”
The clinic will continue to be conducted by the staff of Emerge Med Staffing, led by its CEO Richard Watson, M.D., FACEP.
“We have done magnificently well at in-person education and Dr. Watson teamed with a pediatrician in order to answer parents’ questions,” said Dr. Davis. “All children ages 5 and over are welcome.”
Dr. Watson, an honors graduate of Howard University Medical School and the first Black chief resident physician at the University of Chicago Hospital, is board certified in emergency medicine and a fellow in the American College of Emergency Physicians. He heads the Hazel Crest, Illinois-based medical organization, which has a dedicated COVID center where tests for anti-bodies for protection from the virus, tests for the virus and vaccine inoculations are available.
“We opened our clinic at Southland College Prep as one of opportunities for young people getting ready to return to school after the long summer and now we are keeping the momentum strong heading into the winter months for a healthy spring.”
On November 13, 2021, Southland College Prep Charter High School began hosting Saturday vaccination clinics for children 5 to 11, providing an opportunity for an entire family to be vaccinated.
