​Let's keep things on track! Bushnell-Prairie City teachers will be available for parent/teacher conferences (as scheduled) on Thursday, March 26 from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm and again on Friday, March 27 from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm. Elementary teachers will contact parents to provide reminders of your scheduled conference time and will confirm arrangements to meet with you via email or video conference. If you have not yet scheduled a conference and would like to, please email your preK-5 teacher to arrange. Junior High and High School teachers will be available during these times (similar to the drop in format in both buildings) to receive questions from parents and communicate via email or video conference to share current student progress.

Governor Pritzker announced today the mandatory closing of all public school districts in Illinois starting Tuesday, March 17 and extending (at minimum) through Monday, March 30. Teachers have been working to develop activities that can be completed at home to keep students active and engaged in learning. More information will be provided on those activities Monday. During this mandated closure, all school-related activities will also be cancelled. We know that our school community has many questions regarding how this will impact students, staff, learning, and the school calendar. We will provide more information as that becomes available based upon guidance from county and state authorities.

As a public school district, we are continuing to work closely with and follow the guidance provided by county, state, and federal health agencies. Both the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education are providing frequent and updated guidance that is somewhat fluid as the situation evolves. Deciding when and/or if to close schools continues to be a local decision and would be based upon student and staff absences, and any known exposures to individuals with confirmed infection. As of today, we have not been notified of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our school community or in the greater west-central region.

Our teachers and staff are working hard to maintain safe and clean learning environments. Custodians are doing additional cleaning in all school buildings, handwashing is being encouraged - with additional passing time allowed at the High School, cleaning supplies have been provided to teachers for use during the school day, buses are being wiped down daily, and we are developing home-based learning activities in the event that school closings are necessary. We have also begun to review large-attendance activities to insure we're supporting efforts to minimize transmission and be sensitive to high-risk populations. As of today, the following activities/events are being cancelled: STEAM Night at the Elementary scheduled for April 2; VIP Day at the Elementary on April 3; and the indoor track meet scheduled for Tuesday, March 17. We will evaluate other events and provide notification as this situation evolves. 

Please continue to engage in good preventative habits; do not send sick children to school; and stay in frequent touch with your school offices.