COVID Mitigation Protocols

Face Masks

• Masks are optional for all students, staff and visitors as of Monday, February 28.
• Masks also are optional on school buses as of Monday, February 28.

• Individual students or student groups are socially distanced, 3 feet apart when at all possible.
• Small groups of students may be assigned to the same table and be 3 feet from other tables.
• Students can share materials.

As of Tuesday, February 22, the district is no longer contact tracing. Families will continue to be notified when someone at the schools tests positive. These notifications will detail the number of positive cases and grade level, which is in alignment with our policy on communicable disease notifications. No identifiable information about students or staff will be shared.

Please continue to monitor your child for symptoms and keep them home from school is they are showing signs of illness.

We are not requiring lanyards for daily student health certification. Parents should continue to monitor for symptoms and keep their children home from school when they are ill. The following symptoms are associated with COVID:

• Fever of 100.4 degrees or higer
• New onset of moderate to severe headache
• Shortness of breath
• New Cough
• Sore throat
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• New loss of sense of taste or smell
• Fatigue from an unknown cause
• Muscle or body aches from an unknown cause

Update (5/16): The week of May 16 will be the final week for SHIELD testing at all of our schools.

Saliva testing will continue at each of our schools. If you have previously opted your child out of weekly testing , you can submit a form online to opt back in. 

River Trails School District is utilizing COVID-19 screening approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health for unvaccinated students and staff, unless parents choose to opt out by submitting the required form.  

These weekly COVID-19 saliva screening tests through SHIELD Illinois are quick and easy to administer. To learn more visit: https://www.uillinois.edu/shield.

You can watch a video with examples of how saliva testing is administered.

You will only be contacted if your child tests positive for COVID-19. You can also access the test results through SHIELD.

Weekly SHIELD Testing FAQ

How often will your child be tested?

Students are tested weekly: Tuesdays at River Trails and Euclid, Wednesdays at Indian Grove and Prairie Trails. In certain circumstances students will be tested more frequently, based on guidance from the local health department.

What is the test? 

Your child will receive a free diagnostic test for the COVID-19 virus conducted by collecting saliva (spit). 

How will I know if my child tests positive? 

The district will receive results of your child’s test and will notify you of any positive result. You can also access the results yourself through SHIELD.

What should I do when I receive my child’s test results? 

If your child’s test results are positive, please contact your child’s doctor immediately to review the test results and discuss next steps. You may not send your child back to school for 5 days. If your child’s test results are negative, this means that the COVID-19 virus was not detected in your child’s saliva (spit). 

Tests sometimes produce incorrect negative results called “false negatives” in people who have COVID-19.  If your child tests negative but has symptoms of COVID-19, or if you have concerns about your child’s exposure to COVID-19, you should call your child’s doctor. 

Who will receive my child’s test results? 

In addition to you receiving your child’s test results, the School District and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will receive your child’s test results, consistent with IDPH guidance and the Illinois Control of Communicable Disease Code. 

Do I need to take any other action?  

No other action is required if you consent for your child to be tested for COVID-19 infection pursuant to the above terms. If you do NOT consent for your child to be tested for COVID-19 infection, complete, sign, and return the OPT-OUT form to your student’s school office.

If I opt my child out, can they “Test to Stay?”

Test to stay is no longer an option at any of our schools. This is due to logistical difficulties and the time-consuming nature of the program.

What else should I know?

A negative SHIELD test result will allow a student to stay in school if the student develops symptoms on testing day. However, if symptoms persist they will need to be re-tested or quarantine.

Students or staff who test positive have two options:

1. Quarantine at home for 10 days
2. Quarantine at home for 5 days, return on Day 6 with a mask requirement through Day 10, maintain 6 feet of social distancing at lunch through Day 10

NOTE: Individuals sould only return if they are no longer experiencing symptoms.

Students with Covid-like symptoms will be required to quarantine for 5 days. Students who are experiencing symptoms may return early with a negative PCR/Rapid test result and once symptoms subside.

Other Notes:

• Close contacts will not have to quarantine, unless they are experiencing symptoms.
• If an asymptomatic student tests positive, but later develops symptoms, their return-to-school date will be based on the day they began experiencing symptoms.
• There will no longer be a remote instruction option for students in quarantine. These students will be treated similarly to other students who are absent from school due to an illness. Students will access their online portal to receive assignments or will receive assignments directly from their classroom teacher. This restores pre-pandemic practices for addressing assignments when students are ill. Students who test positive should focus on recovery.

• Students in quarantine due to COVID-19 are still eligible for free meals. Please contact Maribel Real at mreal@rtsd26.org to notify her of your interest. A five-day meal bag will be packed for your family to pick up River Trails Middle School.

Everyone age 5 and older is eligible for the Pfizer vaccine. A fully vaccinated student will be exempted from weekly SHIELD testing.

If you would like your child to continue being tested even after vaccination, please contact your principal and teacher.

Is your child fully vaccinated (two weeks removed from 2nd dose)? Inform the district by filling out this form. If you do not have a Google account, please submit your child’s vaccination information directly to your school’s office.

Did your child receive a booster shot? You can submit that information by filling out this form.

If a student is experiencing symptoms, you can have them independently tested and a negative result will allow them to return to school. Students who are experiencing symptoms may return early with a negative PCR/Rapid test result and once symptoms subside.

Masks are optional for volunteers and visitors, as of February 28.

Students have time and opportunity built into their schedule to regularly wash or sanitize their hands.

• The federal government is paying for breakfast and lunch for all students.
• Take-home breakfast bags will no longer be available due to changes to the USDA meal progam. Schools will offer breakfast at lunch, free of charge, for all students.
• Lunch is socially distanced to the extent possible based on available space and supervision.  
• Students in quarantine due to COVID-19 are still eligible for free meals. Please contact Maribel Real at mreal@rtsd26.org to notify her of your interest. A five-day meal bag will be packed for your family to pick up River Trails Middle School.

• After school clubs and sports are occurring this year.
• In-person spectators are permitted at RTMS sporting events, but must be a family member of a home team athlete. Also, spectators must adhere to the rules stated on the school's athletic page. This includes wearing a mask at all times and maintaining six feet of distancing from other household pods. Games will be livestreamed on RTMS' Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.
• Activity buses are resuming.
• KidSquad is held at Weiss Community Center, 1500 E Euclid Ave Mount Prospect, IL to begin the year and transportation is provided to/from schools. Register for KidSquad.