Illinois Math and Science Academy is temporarily prohibiting students from visiting home on the weekends to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

       While the roughly 650 students in grades 10-12 enrolled at the public residential high school in Aurora were allowed to visit home during Labor Day weekend, they will be required to remain on campus through the rest of September except for preapproved commitments, officials said this week.

       IMSA President Evan M. Glazer said the reason behind the high school’s decision to pause home visits can be summed up by reflecting on the “tragedy of the commons” — an economic principle that underscores the danger of individuals putting their personal interests before the greater good.

       “Because we’re a residential high school, we’re different from other schools, because our kids are living together and can transmit the virus much more easily, making us vulnerable to shutting down,” Glazer said.

       The high school has heard concerns from some parents who are displeased with the new policy, but he remains hopeful “that everyone can be a little flexible.”

       The Illinois Math and Science Academy, a residential high school in Aurora, is prohibiting students from visiting home on the weekends to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on campus. (Steve Lord / The Beacon-News)

       IMSA students returned to campus for in-person classes last month after learning remotely since March 2020.

       As of Sept. 3, the high school’s positivity rate was below 1%, IMSA spokeswoman Tami Armstrong said, but officials “noticed a majority of COVID cases are a result of being in direct contact with family members or friends outside the IMSA community.”

       Families can arrange to see their children on campus or can request an exemption to check out their student if they have previously arranged a medical appointment or another significant need that is nonsocial in nature, Armstrong said.

       Students who leave campus do not face additional requirements upon their return. As of this month, all students are required to get tested twice a week for COVID-19, Armstrong said. Under a statewide order from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, staff members at all public schools are required to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

       Other residential high schools in the Chicago area say they allow students who board to leave on the weekends, including Lake Forest Academy, a private high school on the North Shore where half of the students live on campus and half commute.

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       Even before the pandemic, students who board were encouraged “to stay on the weekends to get the whole experience,” school spokesman Patrick Coyle said.

       Students at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, a private, Catholic day and boarding school in Lake Forest for girls in grades 9-12, are also allowed to leave campus. The school offers a five-day boarding program, where students from the surrounding area live on campus during the week and return home for the weekends, spokesman Alex Maegdlin said in a statement.

       Students are not required to supply a negative COVID-19 test upon their return, Maegdlin said, but officials “emphasize the importance of living in community to our students and have an expectation that they make wise choices.”

       kcullotta@chicagotribune.com

       Twitter @kcullotta

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