As of December 31, our region (Region 8) was very close to meeting the state’s three criteria for relaxing the current Phase 4/Tier 3 COVID mitigation measures:

• Positivity rate below 12 percent for three consecutive days (using the seven-day rolling average). Our region’s positivity rate was last reported at 9.8 percent, and has remained under 12 percent for 11 days. 
  
  
• Hospital bed availability greater than 20 percent for three consecutive days for both intensive care unit (ICU) beds and medical/surgical beds (using the three-day rolling average). Availability of ICU beds in our region has been above 20 percent for the past 11 days, but the availability of medical/surgical beds has been above 20 percent one day less than the requirement. 
  
  
• Hospital patient count for COVID has declined in seven of the last 10 days (using the seven-day rolling average). Our region’s patient count has declined 9 of the last 10 days.

Considering this information, as well as recommendations from the Board of Education’s Special Reopening Committee, our reopening plan will likely unfold as follows:

• If our region returns to Tier 2 mitigations, staff will return to the schools for two days each week and -- to the extent practical -- work remotely the remaining three days. Staff could return to the schools as early as Tuesday, January 19.
  
  
• At its special January 6 meeting, the Board of Education will consider directing administration to prepare for a possible return of students under the hybrid instructional model on either February 1, February 8, or February 15. This return would be dependent upon our region’s return to Tier 2 mitigations, and our achievement of certain positivity rates and other criteria deemed appropriate from the DuPage County Health Department and the Board’s Special Reopening Committee. 
  
  
• Special Education and/or Pre-K and/or K-5 could return to hybrid, in-person instruction at earlier dates than other grades, following the model of other districts.
  
  
• The DuPage County Health Department is currently vaccinating healthcare workers and first responders for COVID-19. They have indicated that school district staff will likely be in the next group to receive the vaccine. Plans are still being developed to support this work.