Remote Learning Recommended Amid Rising Lake Co. Coronavirus Rate

LAKE COUNTY, IL — All schools in Lake County should shift to fully remote learning in response to rising rates of coronavirus, public health officials said.

The Lake County Health Department Tuesday recommended all public and private elementary and high schools in the county transition to entirely e-learning, if they have not done so already, to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect students, staff and their families.

“This is not a recommendation we take lightly,” Executive Director Mark Pfister said in a statement. “Schools are being asked to utilize virtual learning not because schools are the main driver of our new infections, but because the levels of community transmission warrant extra measures to keep our students, staff, and their families safe."

Pfister said the county is experiencing the highest rates of new cases since the spring.

“We continue to work closely with our school superintendents to equip them with data and tools to make informed decisions," Pfister said. "Now the decision is up to school districts, to use their expertise and authority to make this difficult decision for the health and safety of their school communities and the greater Lake County community as a whole.”

Last week, the rolling average number of daily new cases in the county rose past the threshold for what is considered "substantial" community spread of the virus — 14 cases per 100,000 people — to an average of 22.7 new cases per 100,000 people on Saturday, the most recent day for which data was available from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

According to the return to school metrics, a virtual learning model is suggested anytime the seven-day rolling average daily incidence rate reaches the level. Hybrid learning is permitted under the metrics at the "moderate" level — whenever the rate is between seven and 14 daily new cases per 100,000 residents.

Lake County Regional Superintendent of Schools Roycealee Wood said local school districts were working with state and local public health agencies as well as the Illinois State Board of Education to develop guidelines for when to transition between hybrid and remote learning.

“The safety of our students, staff, and communities are always first and foremost," Woods said. "Opening schools is a priority; however, if we want schools to reopen and remain open we must all do our part. It's relatively easy if you wear a mask, keep your distance, and wash your hands frequently. These are challenging and unprecedented times, but with collective behaviors we can slow spread and achieve our goals.”

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Since the county's first confirmed coronavirus case in March, nearly 20,000 Lake County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, and more than 500 people have died. The survival rate in the county is 96.7 percent, according to the health department.

In Region 9 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's coronavirus resurgence mitigation plan, which includes both Lake and McHenry counties, the positivity rate rose to 7.5 percent Saturday — its highest level since state public health officials started tracking it in late June.

With rates rising on eight of the previous 10 days, the region is on track for the same additional restrictions imposed on DuPage, Kane, Kankakee and Will counties Tuesday.

New daily hospital admission in the region also recently set a new record high of 12. Twice as many people are being admitted to the region's hospitals every day, on average, than a month earlier.

The health department will not recommend a return to a hybrid of remote and in-person learning until the county manages to spent at least seven consecutive days with its community spread at the moderate level.

"Schools alone cannot bear this burden — we must all take personal responsibility to keep this virus from spreading in any way that we can,” he said.

MORE: Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium Return to School Metrics from the Lake County School Decision Dashboard »