Oak Park Public Health Director Theresa Chapple-McGruder (left) and Oak Park and River Forest High School Superintendent Greg Johnson (right).
Oak Park Public Health Director Theresa Chapple-McGruder (left) and Oak Park and River Forest High School Superintendent Greg Johnson (right).
Oak Park and River Forest High School has overturned its recent ban on extracurricular activities.
The move came after angry parents protested over the weekend and nearly 2,000 signed a petition in favor over overturning the ban.
The school district made the announcement prior to an emergency school board meeting scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 7.
Superintendent Greg Johnson put the blame on Village of Oak Park Department of Public Health Director Theresa D. Chapple-McGruder noting student and staff “did an excellent job complying with the new mitigations that we were required to implement.”
Chapple-McGruder had demanded a “high level of compliance” with her new rules if she were to allow sports again, or the school’s winter concert.
“I know that the past few days have been extremely difficult. Thank you to all our students, teachers, and staff for all your efforts to help get our students back to the sports and activities that they love. You truly do represent those things that are best,” Johnson said in the letter.
Instead shutting down the school’s extracurricular activities Chapple-McGruder is now requiring all students to undergo routine saliva testing and wear KN95 masks that will be provided by the Village of Oak Park.
The school also noted students will be more spread out during lunch.
The school system serves 3,400 students in the ninth through 12th grades.
In the letter to parents on Friday, Dec. 3 Johnson abruptly noting the shift Johnson said the health department required the cancellation of events through the holiday break to include basketball, wrestling, swimming, diving and drill teams as well as an annual Winter performance, Prisms of Winter.
The move was made after 17 Covid cases popped up at the school.
On Saturday, Chapple-McGruder faced a crowd of angry parents who erupted into chants of “Let them play!” after she told them the cancellation would be in effect.
The ban was only in effect for Dec. 3-6.
Read the full text of Johnson’s letter below:
Dec. 6, 2021
Dear OPRFHS Students, Staff, and Families,
I am pleased to let you know that today students did an excellent job complying with the new
mitigations that we were required to implement. As a result, all athletics, activities, clubs, and performances will resume as usual tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 7. This includes all scheduled performances of our Prisms of Winter concert.
The new mitigation measures will remain in place through the end of this semester and are as follows:
1. Every person in the building must wear a KN95 or surgical mask. Students who don’t have their own can get a mask as they enter the building.
2. As many students as possible need to participate in a second round of saliva testing this Thursday, Dec. 9. Once again, our PE and Health teachers are graciously sacrificing instructional time so that we can maximize saliva testing during those classes. Here is the schedule for this week:
| PE and Health Locations for Tuesday, Dec. 7 - Friday, Dec. 10 |
| Current PE/Health Location On Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, go to... |
| Fieldhouse Auditorium |
| Any location except Fieldhouse Current usual PE location |
| Current PE/Health location On Thursday, go to... |
| 1 East Gym Little Theatre |
| 2 East Gym Little Theatre |
Fieldhouse and all other PE/Health locations Auditorium
Students in Driver Education who are not in behind-the-wheel instruction should get a pass to go to the Auditorium for testing during class. For student athletes who are in season, you will be testing after school. Your coach will be in touch with your testing schedule.
If your student is not opted in yet, please click here for instructions on how to complete the consent form in Skyward. If you aren’t sure whether your child is opted in, you can follow these instructions to check.
3. Students must be more spread out during lunch.
● For the next two weeks only, we are opening off-campus lunch to all students in all grades. Students who wish to leave for lunch should exit through the usual MCC door (Door 9), at the far end of the North Cafeteria. Students, please be considerate of our OPRF neighbors and be conscious of cleaning up after yourselves.
● In the building, students may eat lunch only in the following spaces:
○ North Cafeteria
○ 1 West Gym
○ Fieldhouse
● Students may no longer eat lunch in the balcony area or outside the auditorium. This will be a permanent change.
● So that we can resume using the 1 East Gym for instruction, vaccinated students identified as close contacts must eat in the second-floor balcony if they choose not to go off campus for lunch.
One final note: The Board of Education is holding a special meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss our COVID mitigations. The public is invited to attend online; the link to view the meeting will be available by clicking here to go to our BoardDocs page.
I know that the past few days have been extremely difficult. Thank you to all our students, teachers, and staff for all your efforts to help get our students back to the sports and activities that they love. You truly do represent those things that are best.
Sincerely,
Dr. Greg Johnson
Superintendent
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