In an effort to protect our school community from the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), District 64 has decided to cancel all out-of-school activities involving students and parents effective immediately.
The move means that activities including field trips, sports, concerts, musicals, plays, rehearsals, clubs, PTO/PTA meetings and parent-teacher conferences are canceled immediately until further notice.
At this time, the closings will not impact the Park Ridge Park District’s Beyond the Bell (before and after school) program in our schools. Any before- or after-school IEP meetings will continue as scheduled.
All District 64 schools remain open. As of this announcement on March 12, there is no known case of COVID-19 in our learning community.
This decision was based on the guidance issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to reconsider non-essential large group gatherings as well as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of Coronavirus as a pandemic. We feel it is in the best interests of our school community to significantly reduce public access to our buildings for all non-essential school events.
District 64 Superintendent Eric Olson notified parents and staff on Thursday afternoon and said more information would be coming from the district in the next day. He said the administration's goal in taking this step is to limit potential outside visitor exposure while continuing to provide our students with uninterrupted instruction during the school day. In a letter to parents and staff, Olson asked for understanding from his school community.
"We appreciate your understanding of these decisions," he said. "I know they impact you in myriad ways. It’s important that we continue to work together in the best interests of the health of our students and our community."