This year school is going to look very different. Not only in the aspect of school rules, but just the average day to day experience in the halls of Grayslake North. During this semester, Grayslake North has laid out rules and regulations to allow the students to return to school.

Many staff members had to help decide how the day-to-day operation was going to look. That includes meetings, rules

and looking into state regulations for a safe way to allow students and teachers back.

“The superintendent, Dr. Storaasli, is the ultimate decision-maker.  We are using guidance from the IDPH, LCHD and the CDC for all safety measures,” said associate principal of student services Megan Licht.

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Everyone in school needs to wear a mask.

Some rules that students have to follow while in school are keeping a mask over one’s mouth and nose the entire time. Students cannot hang out in the hallways. Because of this rule, the school has asked students to come in as close to 8:00 a.m. as they can without being late to class. If students want to leave during a period, they must scan their school ID. When students and staff come into school, everyone must get their temperature taken and fill out a questionnaire on CrisisGo. While in the classroom, students must keep a distance of six feet for desk space, and at the end of class, students must wipe down their area.

“Administratively, so our administrative team met many many times, at least once a week, but throughout the week we were talking all the time,” said superintendent Dr. Mikkel Storaasli. 

Grayslake North has been in contact with the Lake County Department of Health to make sure they are doing everything they can to make sure students and faculty are safe.

“I specifically have meetings scheduled with the Lake County Department of Health, so I’m kind of the contact of the health department through our district. We’ve been meeting once, sometimes twice a week, just talking about protocols, talking about safety, talking about what is good practice and what isn’t,” Storaasli said.

Not only did the school have to maintain basic rules like social distancing and mask protocols, but they also had to discuss the number of students that were allowed to come in the school and in each individual class.

“We also had guidance from the State Board of Education on some things, specifically in terms of how many people, not just students, how many people we can have in a room. We can’t have any more than 50 let’s say. I think that’s actually changed with the governor. For example when trying to figure out how we can do this, and who can be in what spaces, and time and all that. The one big thing that comes up is lunch, so if we can’t have more than 50 in a room, the lunchroom, you have a lot more than 50,” Storaasli said.

With the new rules and regulations, many students feel safer and like the rules that have been put in place will keep them safe.

“I like that we can leave school by noon because it gives hybrid learners time to eat lunch and finish homework,” said junior Makayla Ryan. “The hybrid rules are good, and I like how serious the school is about keeping people safe.”

The school has markers for six feet of distance, and stations for hand sanitizers, temperature monitors, and each class has a cleaning station when a student is done using his or her desk.

“I would say to always have your mask over your nose, wash your hands frequently, stay distanced, check your email every morning to fill out the CrisisGo self-certification and have fun!” Licht said.

Grayslake North is doing its best to not only make sure students feel safe but are actually safe during this pandemic.