Dear Palos 118 Families,

We are off to a great start this school year! Student enrollment is up as Palos 118 continues to attract new families to the community for our outstanding educational services and top-notch opportunities for children. Members of our school community also benefit from our first-class auxiliary organizations that provide resources above and beyond what we are able to provide as a school district. These organizations include the Parent Faculty Association, the Music Parents Association, and our Educational Foundation. Please consider getting involved with one or more of these organizations. You can learn more about them by visiting their websites.

Please remember there is no school on Monday, September 6, in observance of Labor Day, and Tuesday, September 7, for a scheduled Institute Day. I know many families will be traveling and gathering with family and friends. Please remember to be extra vigilant in checking your child for symptoms prior to sending them back to school on Wednesday, September 8. Keeping our schools open means keeping COVID-19 out of classrooms, so please make sure you remember to:

Screen children daily for COVID-19 symptoms prior to sending them to school, regardless of vaccination status.
Keep symptomatic children at home until symptoms resolve.
Keep symptomatic children and children in close contact with a potential or confirmed positive case at home.
Keep siblings of a symptomatic child at home until the symptomatic child receives a negative COVID-19 test result (which can be provided free of charge by the school district).
Do not send children to school if a household member has COVID-19, is suspected of having COVID-19, or is awaiting test results for COVID-19.

If you have any doubt about whether you should send your child to school, please contact the school nurse immediately.

Holiday Travel

If you plan on traveling over the long weekend, please remember to take necessary precautions now that school is back in session. The school district recommends families follow the Cook County Department of Public Health travel guidelines for travel. You can view those guidelines here. We want everyone to return on September 8, healthy and happy!

Curriculum Inquiries

I have received several emails regarding the passage of Senate Bill 0818, a bill regarding sexual education in public schools, and Critical Race Theory. Our schools have also received emails and opt-out notices from parents asking that their children be excluded from sex education and critical race theory. Therefore, I'm providing the following information that will hopefully clear up any confusion regarding these two topics.

Sexual Education (Senate Bill 0818)

There is a lot of misinformation being shared on social media and other platforms regarding Senate Bill 0818, including that it mandates all school districts to begin teaching sexual education in kindergarten. This bill does not mandate public schools begin teaching sexual education in kindergarten. It requires the Illinois State Board of Education to develop sexual education learning standards for all grade levels, but it does not require local school districts to adopt the standards.

Palos 118 has no plans to change its fifth grade and eighth grade programs in response to the passage of Senate Bill 0818. All units of study related to sexual education are opt-in and require parental consent. To learn more about our sexual education program, please contact Dr. Cozza at rcozza@palos118.org.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the 1619 Project

I also continue to receive emails regarding CRT and the 1619 Project. CRT and the 1619 Project are not part of the Illinois Learning Standards, nor are they part of Palos 118's curriculum. We do, however, teach that all of our Palos 118 students are valued, equal, and welcome.

Inclusive Curriculum Law

All public school districts in Illinois are required to integrate perspectives and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community in history of our nation. The intent of the law is to provide our LGBTQ+ students the opportunity to see themselves represented in history. Our 8th grade social studies curriculum meets this requirement by pointing out the contributions made by historic figures in our units of study on the Roaring 20's, the Civil Rights Era and current events. For more information regarding the Inclusive Curriculum Law, please contact Dr. Cozza at rcozza@palos118.org.

Vaccination Clinic

The IDPH will be hosting a vaccination clinic at Palos South Middle School on Saturday, September 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sign-up information is coming soon, and walk-ins will also be welcome. Both Pfizer and J&J vaccines will be available. A follow-up clinic will be held on October 16, also from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Voluntary Screening/Testing Programs

Our voluntary testing program has proven successful in keeping healthy students in school who would otherwise have had to quarantine due to close contact to a confirmed positive classmate. We encourage all parents to please consider having their children participate in the BINAX rapid response antigen test and/or the SHIELD-IL screening program. Our BINAX program is up and running, and we anticipate our SHIELD-IL program to be operating in the next few weeks. Please remember these programs require written parental consent to participate. Please contact the school office if you need a consent form to complete.

Palos 118 COVID-19 Dashboard

Click here to view our dashboard, which now includes our weekly metrics. The community metrics provided are a weighted average based on student enrollment from the communities we serve.

Best regards,

Dr. Anthony M. Scarsella

Superintendent of Schools