Last week, The News-Gazette reported a teacher at Next Generation in Champaign tested positive for COVID-19. Yesterday, Regional Planning Commission issued a press release about one of their employees testing postiive for COVID-19 who works at Champaign Early Childhood Education Center.
Read our Editorial Board piece about reopening schools this fall, and how it should be done with the safety of students and teachers front and center.
From the press release:
RPC Statement on Positive COVID-19 Case at Its Champaign Early Childhood Education Center
CHAMPAIGN, IL (Tuesday, July 21, 2020) On Tuesday, July 21, 2020, we were informed that an RPC employee located at the Champaign Early Childhood Education Center (809 N. Neil Street, Champaign) tested positive for COVID-19. The center was not yet opened to students, so no children have been exposed. The center will close for two weeks and not go forward with reopening on Monday, July 27, as originally planned. All staff members at that location will have to test negative twice for COVID-19 before being allowed back into the center.
Based on information provided to us by this employee, and consistent with CDC guidelines, the employee is now at home in isolation for 14 days, monitoring for symptoms. The RPC and Early Childhood Division Director Brandi Granse will work with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District on the proper steps for moving forward with reopening the center in two weeks.
The RPC has implemented additional safety protocols including but not limited to checking the temperature of staff before entering our locations to make sure they are healthy, providing hand sanitizer, following social distancing protocols, increased disinfecting of surfaces and equipment, and wearing face coverings or masks in alignment with CDC public guidance. These extra precautions are in addition to the strict safety protocols already in place at RPC sites, such as regularly wiping down high-touch areas.
We have also implemented standard staff health assessments to ensure RPC employees are feeling well before reporting to work and remaining at home if they have any symptoms.
We appreciate the dedication of our staff as we continue to provide crucial services to Champaign County and East Central Illinois. We want to emphasize that RPC staff adhere to the highest standards of safety and infection control.
Editor’s Note: The initial published post showed Next Generation’s Primary School and not their Early Education Center, which is now pictured.
Top image from Google Maps.
