With the recent change in the amount of spectators that can be allowed for an indoor event, the District has made a couple changes to the numbers allowed to attend our indoor events. Below are the new guidelines that we will be following at this time. Please remember while attending our events, we ask all spectators to follow our guidelines that have been set. By doing so, it will allow us to continue to allow spectators into our events. Failure to follow our guidelines may result in the spectator(s) being asked to leave the event. Our goal is to allow our spectators to view their children participating. In order to do so, we need to continue to do what we have been doing so far by keeping the athletes as safe as we can while they are participating in their sport. We will continue to stream our events on our YouTube channels.
Hello Raiders,
Our school district is now able to provide COVID-19 testing for symptomatic students using BinaxNOW Rapid test kits. For the 2020-21 school year, testing will be performed at the unit office after 2:00 PM dismissal. As you can imagine, this is a new process for our nurses and continued patience is appreciated as they incorporate this into our setting. Initial appointment numbers will be limited until a system is fully established and more appointments will be added as time allows. Initial appointments will be at 2:15 and 2:30 as long as staff are available.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who can be tested? Symptomatic staff and students who are excluded from school due to COVID-19 district policies. Asymptomatic persons who are excluded due to household symptoms will not be tested as the symptomatic person's negative test will clear them to return to school.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19? Intermin Guidance from IDPH is subject to change. As of 3/15/21, symptoms include the following: fever, headache, shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, new loss of sense of taste or smell, fatigue, and muscle or body aches.
What type of sample is collected? The testing performed will require a simple nasal swab of both nostrils. A fact sheet from the manufacturer will be provided to answer additional questions.
Can anyone bring my student for testing? No, a parent/legal guardian is required to sign consent and must be present for testing for the 2020-2021 school year.
Will my student(s) still be sent home from school? Yes. For the 2020-21 school year, testing will ONLY occur for symptomatic students at the unit office after 2:00 PM. There are currently no changes to the call in/send home policies regarding student symptoms. There are multiple factors that were taken into consideration on this decision.
Will the nurses be assessing my student(s)? Midwest Central CUSD 191 is not acting as your student(s) medical provider. Student(s) will be tested ONLY, and testing does not replace treatment by a medical provider.
They still have vomiting, diarrhea, and/or a fever, but tested negative. What now? Asymptomatic student(s) and staff can return to school immediately. Symptomatic individuals must also be 24 hours without vomiting, diarrhea, and/or fever without the use of medication per non-covid policies.
My student fears testing, what should I do? The school setting is a place of trust. If your student(s) are fearful of testing, please seek other testing locations. Our nurses WILL NOT perform testing on a student who is needing to be restrained. Denial will be at the school nurse's discretion. We need our students to continue to trust our nurses. While we understand the importance of returning to school as soon as possible, we also do not want this process to be traumatizing. The nurses are happy to assist you in finding alternative testing locations if this is a concern.
Who will see my results? School nurses will see the results and are bound by FERPA to keep results confidential. Additionally, all administered tests must be reported to the State of Illinois. If COVID-19 is detected, student(s) and staff will be required to follow the IDPH and local health department guidelines on quarantining. You will be provided with a results form for your primary care physician.
Can this test release us from official quarantine (not school exclusion)? No, please contact your local health department for their quarantine release policies.
What if it's a "false positive?" Our district is required to report ALL test results. If you are concerned that your student received a false positive result, you will still be required to follow your health departments release guidelines.
I'm at the Unit Office awaiting a test, now what? Stay in your vehicle and call 309.968.6868. A nurse will come out to your vehicle to assist you.
Very best,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
It's time... for Spring Break (March 29 - April 5). We hope all of our Raiders have a fun and safe break!
There are still slots open for Kindergarten Screenings. Call to reserve your time today!
Wishing you a rainbow of happiness and good cheer today and always!
Join our team!
Hello Raiders,
We realize that rules on COVID are beginning to relax across the country as more and more people get vaccinated. We're excited about the day we can loosen our rules as well; however, we're not at that point yet. We've been successful at keeping schools open because of your kind cooperation in following our rules. To that point please don't send your students to school when they are experiencing COVID symptoms. If your student has symptoms, please call them in ill. Depending upon their symptoms you'll be contacted by our nurses for further instructions. Thank you for your help as we make our final push towards the end of the school year.
Best regards,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
Today is World Social Work Day!
MC is LUCKY to have Ms. DuWaldt and Ms. Ranallo. Both are genuine and caring people. They encompass what a good Social Worker should be. THANK YOU for all of your hard work... you are appreciated!
Today is World Social Work Day!
MC is LUCKY to have Ms. DuWaldt and Ms. Ranallo. Both are genuine and caring people. They encompass what a good Socail Worker should be. THANK YOU for all of your hard work... you are appreciated!
Dont forget to set your clocks ahead today.
Today is the end of the 3rd 9 Weeks!
Join our team!
It's time for Kindergarten screening!
Reminder - Tomorrow, 3/5 will be a student attendance 1/2 day.
Hello Raiders. Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is a 1/2 day early dismissal. The middle school will dismiss at 11:20, the high school at 11:30, and the primary school at 11:40.
Reminder - Tomorrow, 3/5 will be a student attendance 1/2 day
We will be having an Easter Meal the Thursday before break. On Thursday, March 25th, we will be having the following, please disregard the lunch options on the menu this day.
Primary & Middle Schools:
Ham
Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy
Green Beans
Pudding
High School will have sandwich options along with:
Ham
Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy
Green Beans
Pudding
We know many of our Raider families like to plan ahead when possible, so attached you'll find our calendar for next school year. Please bear in mind that at some point we'll need to add in a few more half days next spring. We often plan one of them around the SAT test date. At this point the state has not released the test date or what test our students will be taking.
Thanks to a generous donation from Operation Warm, Midwest Central is able to offer FREE coats to our students and community.
We have the coats available at the Primary School in child sizes 7/8, 10/12, and 14/16. If you or someone you know needs a coat, please call the office at 309.968.6464 and reserve one today (while supplies last).
For most of the year we’ve been trying to run a second 3:00 PM shuttle to allow students to stay after the 2:00 PM dismissal time and receive extra help. Beginning March 1 we will be ending that practice for a variety of reasons, but the biggest reason is student safety. Because different students stay each day it creates a lack of consistency for bus routes thereby opening the chance for errors. We currently receive over 80 transportation changes daily, and with those there is an increased chance for a mistake to be made.
Therefore, beginning March 1st we will revert to our prior policy of one student/one stop. We will only allow one pick up location and one drop off for each student. Please contact the bus barn if you’re unsure of your child’s stop. We will no longer accept transportation changes for students unless the change is permanent or you plan to pick your student up on a particular day. If you plan to pick a student up we must receive the call before noon that day. Please determine where you’d like your student picked up and dropped off each day and contact the bus barn to make them aware at 309.968.3020.
Students will still be welcome to stay from 2:00-3:00 PM each day as long as they can arrange transportation home. We apologize for the change because we pride ourselves on good customer service. However, for the safety of our students it’s important that we revert back to our regular bus routes for the remainder of the year. This change will not affect the middle school students taking Algebra I, middle school first semester Educere students, or primary school band students. Those students that are in the last three groups will be contacted individually regarding transportation.
Very Best,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
