The Illinois Board of Higher Education released updated guidance following updates from the CDC based on evidence from the Delta variant. The updated guidance addresses vaccinations, face coverings and distancing, hygiene, ventilation, study abroad, and several other areas of concern, with the most recent update addressing the CDC recommendation for "face coverings for all people, including those who are fully vaccinated, in public indoor settings that are located in areas of substantial or high transmission."

The Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health recently released the document Revised Public Health Guidance for Schools PART 5 — Supporting The Full Return To

In-Person Learning For All Students - August 2021. The document states "The State of Illinois has adopted the CDC’s updated guidance regarding COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools. Based on that guidance and related updates on July 27, 2021, ISBE and IDPH have updated the public health requirements for schools and associated guidance in these guidelines. This guidance applies to all public and nonpublic schools that serve students in prekindergarten through grade 12 (P-12)." The document addresses health and safety requirements including vaccination, masking and distancing, contact tracing, cleaning and more.

The Illinois Department of Public Health recently announced it was expanding free COVID-19 testing to all K-12 public schools in Illinois. The announcement on the IDPH website states "To help ensure schools can more safely resume in-person learning, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced it is expanding access to free COVID-19 testing to all K-12 public schools across Illinois outside of Chicago which received its own federal funding. Schools can choose to utilize the SHIELD Illinois saliva-based test developed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), which is able to detect SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in symptomatic, pre-symptomatic, and asymptomatic individuals." To view the full announcement, click here.

There's still time to register for the "Preparing for the Unimaginable: An In-Depth Look at Wellness, Trauma Recovery, and Resilience" class on August 25th from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm via Zoom. This class is for both K-12 schools and Institutions of Higher Education, as well as law enforcement and other school and campus safety stakeholders. For more information and to register, click here.

There's still time to register for the "Railroad Safety for First Responders, Educators, and School Bus Drivers" class on August 27th from 9am-12pm via Zoom. The Railroad Safety class covers the challenges that frontline responders and school staff are faced with when responding to an incident on or near railroad property. This 3-hour class will prepare all involved (bus drivers, school administrators, law enforcement, first responders, etc.) and will provide responding individuals the correct tools to safely navigate the unfamiliar environment of the railroad. Attendees will gain access to the safest ways to respond to railroad incidents. For more information and to register, click here.