UpdatedTue, Mar 2, 2021 at 12:53 pm CT
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Elmhurst School District 205 is exempting teachers and other staff from mandatory saliva testing. Students, however, must undergo such screening for in-person learning. (Shutterstock)
ELMHURST, IL Elmhurst School District 205 is requiring students undergo saliva testing for in-person learning, despite state guidance that a district has no legal authority to mandate it.
At the same time, it is exempting teachers and other staff from the testing.
Asked about this exemption, District 205 spokeswoman Beverly Redmond said in an email Tuesday, The vast majority of Elmhurst CUSD 205 staff members have already received their first COVID-19 vaccination and are in the process of receiving their second vaccination, rendering saliva screening unwarranted. Additionally, students are more likely to be asymptomatic when positive than adults.
UpdatedMon, Mar 1, 2021 at 11:50 am CT
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Elmhurst School District 205 is requiring coronavirus testing for students attending in-person classes. However, the Illinois State Board of Education says a district has no such authority. (Shutterstock)
ELMHURST, IL The state told Patch last week that school districts have no legal authority to require saliva testing for in-person learning.
But Elmhurst School District 205 is setting aside that legal advice, saying it believes it has the power to mandate such screening.
On Friday, Elmhurst Patch obtained an email from Superintendent Dave Moyer to a parent earlier that day.
Subscribe We have consulted with our attorneys, and the (Illinois State Board of Education s) position is not legally binding, he told the parent. Our attorneys have advised us that we have the legal authority to require testing for in-person attendance.
UpdatedTue, Feb 23, 2021 at 8:09 am CT
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Elmhurst School District 205 has about 1,300 students on special needs plans, according to the Illinois Report Card. The district has more than 8,000 students. (Shutterstock)
ELMHURST, IL The six candidates for the Elmhurst School District 205 board had much good to say about the local special education program during a weekend event, with one challenger calling it top-notch. Yet a board member said the program s parents are exhausted fighting the district. I m told that parents need to advocate for their children at every turn, board member Jim Collins said during a virtual forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Clearly, there is a reason they assume fighting is a more practical option than having a conversation. I think many of our special ed parents are simply exhausted.
UpdatedMon, Feb 22, 2021 at 10:08 am CT
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Elmhurst School District 205 plans to keep the names of superintendent finalists under wraps. Superintendent Dave Moyer is taking a superintendent s job in Upstate New York in July. (Shutterstock)
ELMHURST, IL Elmhurst School District 205 plans to keep the names of the finalists in its superintendent search a secret.
To that, many people may ask, So what? That s the way it s always been done.
In Illinois, they would largely be right. School boards have a choice whether to release the information to the public and nearly always opt for secrecy.
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In other states, including Wisconsin, Colorado and New Mexico, school boards are required to release the names of finalists. The idea is to allow the public to scrutinize the finalists records and ultimately determine whether school board members made the right choice.