Glencoe Park District employees are now required to be vaccinated under new COVID-19 policies enacted by the park board.
At a Sept. 14 virtual meeting, commissioners unanimously voted that all of the approximate 170 Park District employees plus roughly 50 independent contractors must be vaccinated against the virus, based upon a staff recommendation.
Some employees can be exempt due to disability, medical condition or religious belief. Those employees will be subject to a minimum of weekly coronavirus testing, according to Park District Executive Director Lisa Sheppard.
Under state mandates, many education and medical workers are currently under similar requirements. However, only a handful of area municipal governments have enacted similar policies for their staffs.
The board action follows three recent closures of Park District early childhood classrooms over a 14-day period due to COVID-19, according to Park District spokeswoman Erin Classen.
Following those closures in late August, Park District staff met with families whose children were enrolled in the year-round Children’s Circle program, one of the early childhood offerings. At that meeting, concerns were expressed about safety mitigations, Classen said.
Afterward, the Park District conducted a survey of Children’s Circle families where 64% of respondents favored a vaccine mandate, leading to the board vote.
“The Glencoe Park District is committed to maintaining a workplace that is free of known hazards and safeguarding the health of employees, patrons, and the community at large from infectious diseases such as COVID-19,” reads the Park District policy.
In another move, the board allowed Children’s Circle students to continue to attend even if they have siblings or other family members who have been close contacts to COVID-19.
Sheppard pointed to state guidance on the staff recommendation for that policy.
“IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health) does not recommend that children be isolated from school based on a family member being in close contact with a confirmed case,” Sheppard said.
Commissioner Stefanie Boron sided with the rest of the board on the decision, but expressed some hesitancy.
“I know the ramifications of the domino effect and I also know we have to also hopefully rely on parents. We don’t know what they are doing outside of the school and hopefully they are being responsible,” Boron said.
The board also agreed with a staff recommendation that a mask mandate was not necessary when children and teachers were outside, once again stating they were following IDPH directives.
“I’m in favor of it because I really think everybody — including teachers — needs a mask break,” Board president Lisa Brooks said. “It is a very long day for little kids with that mask on.”
Currently, there are 88 children enrolled in Children’s Circle, which has an age range of six weeks through kindergarten.
The Park District also offers preschool through its half-day Early Learning Center for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds.
Glencoe Junior Kindergarten, which is a private organization, rents space at the Takiff Center, the Park District’s headquarters.
In separate action on Sept. 20, board members approved the appointment of Carol Spain as a commissioner to fill a vacancy created earlier this year when Brandon Hinkle resigned upon moving out of state.
Brooks said Spain was selected from a pool of three finalists who applied for the position.
Spain’s appointment will last until 2023, when a special election will be held as part of the greater municipal elections to fill out the rest of the term.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter.
