D124 Calls Off Classes At All Schools On March 17 Election Day

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — To reduce the risk of students and staff being exposed to coronavirus when schools will be used as polling places for the Illinois Presidential Primary, Evergreen Park School Dist. 124 will close its five elementary schools on Tuesday, March 17. The number of COVID-19 classes reported in Illinois has reached 25 statewide.

Classes and extended day programs are being called off at the district’s five K-5 elementary schools, including Southwest, Southeast, Northwest and Northeast Elementary Schools, and Central Middle School. Supt. Dr. Robert Machek said in a letter to parents that despite safeguards, “the additional variables related to the ongoing spread of coronavirus make it impossible to the district to guarantee the elimination of health risks on that day.”

Parents should note that the change to school calendar means that students’ new last day of school will be Monday, June 8. The administration is also considering “E-learning Days,” and the feasibility of incorporating them down the road should it become necessary to do so.

All district and building activities scheduled for the upcoming days and weeks will go on as planned.

Read Supt. Machek’s in its entirety:

Evergreen Park School District 124 will close all of its schools and the Extended Day program on Tuesday, March 17, when the campuses will be used as polling places by the general public.

While the district had previously put safeguards in place to ensure student safety during the voting process -- such as moving polling locations to mobile units and into rooms that are accessible directly from the exterior, without traveling through the schools -- the additional variables related to the ongoing spread of coronavirus make it impossible for the district to guarantee the elimination of health risks on that day.

The non-student attendance day will give the District’s custodial and maintenance team the opportunity to conduct detailed cleanings throughout the day, as well as Tuesday evening after the polls close. As always, the custodial team will work hard to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces (such as chairs, desks, tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets and sinks) using disinfectants that are noted to be effective against coronavirus.

This change to the school calendar means that the students' new last day of school will be Monday, June 8. The administration will soon be examining the use of "E-learning Days," and the feasibility of incorporating them down the road should it become necessary to do so.

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the nation, state and county, please know that District 124 is monitoring the situation closely and following the lead of the experts: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

As stated in the Parent-Student Handbook, please do not send your child to school with any of the following symptoms: temperature over 100 degrees within the past 24 hours, vomiting and/or diarrhea in the past 24 hours, excessive cough or runny nose, discharge, redness or swelling of the eye(s), a rash of unknown origin, or untreated head lice. Students who have these symptoms or develop them during the school day will be sent home.

We understand that students may have questions about coronavirus and why their school is closed. Parents looking for resources on how to talk to children may want to share the following article from NPR that contains A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus.

Please continue to visit D124’s Coronavirus Page, which can be accessed through the front page of our website, for updates. We will also continue to communicate through email and text message notifications, as necessary.

For now, all District- and building-level activities scheduled for the upcoming days and weeks will go on as planned.