Dear Midwest Central #191 employees, students, and families,
I write to ask for your patience and understanding as our district navigates the latest changes to the COVID-19 guidance and rules for Illinois schools.
On Friday night a Sangamon County judge ruled on a lawsuit filed on behalf of students, parents and employees against ISBE, IDPH, and 146 school districts across the state that challenged state-mandated COVID-19 mitigations. The judge ruled in favor of the parents and stuck down all mandates from the state including ISBE and IDPH regarding masks, vaccination, testing, etc.
We have been reviewing all the information in the judge’s decision and been in contact with school district attorneys to better understand how the ruling may apply to those of us not involved in the suit. The ruling and temporary restraining order issued only applies to the parties named in the lawsuit, and Midwest Central was not named in the lawsuit. The judge denied a motion to have her decision applied to all students, staff, and employees state wide earlier in the proceedings.
The Attorney General’s office immediately filed motion to stay (pause) the decision which could be ruled on in the next couple of days. They also filed a motion to appeal the decision in the appellate courts. This appellate court decision will either uphold or overturn the circuit court decision. An appellate court decision will establish precedent and most likely apply to all schools statewide. The appellate court will rule very quickly. It is anticipated that the ruling will be overturned at the appellate level.
Many districts have called emergency meetings and are voting to change their rules. While we have no concern about what they choose to do we are taking a more measured approach. We have seen time and time again where decisions have come out on a Friday at 5:00 PM only to have things change Monday morning. Although this ruling doesn’t apply to our district directly, it has opened the door to possible changes coming very soon to all Illinois Schools. As soon as we have made a decision that is best for our district, we will communicate that to you.
Thank you for your continued support of our students, teachers, and staff. While it has been a challenging 2 years, we will continue to push forward together.
Sincerely,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
Join our team!
All Midwest Central schools are closed tomorrow February 3rd. Games, practices, and the board meeting are all cancelled. Stay safe and warm!
I know there’s excitement in the air with the potential for a snow day this week! Just some reminders. If the weather is indeed bad, I try to make a call by 5:30 AM to cancel school. I’ll send out a text message, phone call, post on FB, and send an email if school is cancelled. If I cancel school this week and for some reason you’re not included in the messaging, don’t be offended, just let me know so we can find the error and get it fixed.
As far as this week goes, we'll have to wait and see what we get before we can make a decision. Thanks for your understanding.
Stay warm,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
THANK YOU to all of the amazing people that donated to our school from Ms. Shaffer’s library wish list. It is heartwarming to know that so many people are willing to support our staff and school! An act like this serves as a reminder of all the good and kind-hearted people out there in the world! #MCRaiderNation
OMGoodness…. Look at this HUGE check Ms. Shaffer, our District Librarian, earned for us through a library technology grant! HIGH FIVE Ms. Shaffer!!!!! #MCRaiderNation
Join our team!
As we are kicking off 2022, let's consider doing so in acts of service, big or small. Consider keeping Dr. King's legacy alive and unite through service year-round. Volunteering makes this world a better place!
Just a reminder that there is no school this Monday, January 17th, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
Join our team!
Join our team!
Check out this family cooking class on Monday the 10th at 3:30 PM for all of Mason County!
Join our team!
Join our team!
Join our team!
Our very own, Mr. Mitch Miler was quoted in this article about the FFA efforts to help those impacted by the tornado in Kentucky. #MCRaiderNation Proud!
http://wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.php?release_id=18232
2022, make way for Raider Nation.... here we come!
Raider families - May the New Year bless you with health, wealth, and happiness!
Wishing you the HAPPIEST of holidays from our Raiders family to yours!
Hello Raiders,
At our Board of Education meeting last night the Board approved some necessary changes to the calendar for the spring semester. In summary:
1. There is a full day teacher institute on February 4th.
2. The 1/2 day early dismissal on March 4th was moved to March 23rd.
3. The last day for students will be a 1/2 day early dismissal.
Merry Christmas to you all,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
Dear Raiders,
Please read this in its entirety as it’s purely informational. As you may be aware there is a TikTok challenge circulating encouraging school violence tomorrow, December 17th in schools across the country. There are numerous news articles on this topic. There is NO specific threat of violence at any Midwest Central School. The post is general and thus far, authorities have been unable to discover the origin.
Students at Midwest Central have learned of this and have been openly discussing the topic. School safety is our number one priority and we follow up on every report we receive. We’ve already alerted law enforcement of this general challenge and have asked that they provide a more visible presence tomorrow. If you see additional law enforcement at our buildings tomorrow it’s the result of a proactive approach to managing this situation. Please don’t be alarmed.
What can you do?
• Be proactive and discuss with your student what they are seeing and doing on TikTok. (Lot’s of stupidity here.)
• Be proactive and report any threats to the police and schools and encourage your student to do the same.
• Be proactive and help your student understand that “a threat is a threat” and they will be treated as such. Several area students have recently been charged with making threats towards schools. Most students don’t understand that threatening school violence (even as a joke) can get them suspended, expelled, and charged with a crime.
• Be proactive and report your concerns to the schools so that we can address them.
Finally, our Board of Education, administration, faculty, and staff are committed to doing the best we can for your students. Our doors, phones, and emails are always open for you to call. I often tell people that we can’t fix a problem if we don’t know about it. Thank you for taking the time to read this. When your student arrives home today take a moment and discuss this with them. You may be surprised at what you hear.
Reminder that tomorrow has a regular dismissal schedule.
Very best,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
