Township High School District 113 canceled classes Friday at both of its high schools after a suspected case of the new coronavirus was reported to administrators at Deerfield High School, officials said.
In a statement to families Thursday evening, Superintendent Bruce Law stated the suspected case of COVID-19 hasn’t been confirmed by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The cancellation applies to both students and staff, he stated.
“Our next step is to sanitize both schools, the transportation building and the administration building,” Law stated. “We understand that people may need to come back into the buildings to retrieve items. We will communicate when it is safe to allow people to enter the buildings and the process for retrieving items.”
Until further notice, only workers designated as “critical personnel” will be allowed into District 113 facilities, Law stated.
Karen Warner, spokeswoman for District 113, said the suspected case that was reported to administrators comes from a relative of a student and/or staff member. Officials moved to shut down facilities out of an abundance of caution, she said.
The district also doesn’t know when test results related to the suspected case will be confirmed, she said.
Officials also are planning to make Monday and Tuesday a preparation day at both Deerfield and Highland Park high schools and then use e-learning days hopefully by Wednesday, Warner stated.
She also confirmed that officials anticipate students will be doing e-learning remotely until April 14, meaning school buildings will be closed until then. But she added how the situation remains fluid and could change given the circumstances.
“We would communicate to you about the status of school the week of April 6,” Law stated in his letter to families.
The district board still needs to approve an e-learning plan after the Lake County Regional Office of Education approved it this week. District board members are scheduled to approve the plan during a meeting Monday.
The decision to cancel classes Friday comes after District 113 announced it canceled all extracurricular and athletic activities until at least through the end of its spring break March 29.
The global coronavirus crisis has forced an uncountable number of closings and cancellations in the Chicago area. On Thursday, state officials announced a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people for the next 30 days as part of an effort to try and contain the rapidly spreading coronavirus in Illinois.
State officials also announced Thursday evening that seven new patients were diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases since the start of the outbreak to 32.
jnorman@chicagotribune.com
