New federal and state health guidance adjusts policies on masks, distancing and quarantines in Illinois’ K-12 schools. Many students will again be masked in the coming year.
Illinois ranked 9th worst in the nation for offering students access to full-time in-person learning between September 2020 and April 2021 – less than any other Midwest state.
A recent study by the Fordham Institute critiqued Illinois’ education standards for U.S. history and civics education. Illinois’ standards lacked mention of historical concepts and did not offer goals for what each grade should learn in civics and U.S. History.
Illinois schools will be treated more restrictively than any other public venues, threatening students’ educations across the state. Superintendents are demanding up-to-date, commonsense COVID-19 guidance to prep for the upcoming school year.
"We used to believe that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and unfortunately now particularly in the educational environment that’s all we do."
Breaking down the state's latest rules concerning COVID-19 restrictions in Illinois K-12 schools.
Scott Dvorak “I’m a father of eight kids. They range from like kindergarten to high school and there’s really no way that we can afford to pay for eight kids in Catholic school. My wife is a teacher with the Diocese, and I work in sales, so the scholarships have really helped our family. “They’re...
After nearly 17,000 Illinois parents opposed a bill to impose state health mandates on private schools, and state lawmakers let the effort sit, it seemed the fight was over. Not quite. A teachers union lead lobbyist pledged to keep pursuing it.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wanted to gut the Invest in Kids program for low-income students. Lawmakers opposed that, adding a year to the program.
Private schools kept most of their students in class during the COVID-19 pandemic, making public schools look bad. Union bosses tried and failed to force through a bill to mandate state controls on private school operations in the case of a new health crisis.
Private schools found a way to stay open during the pandemic while the majority of public schools remained closed. Teachers’ union bosses want to rewrite the rules to handicap their competition should another state of emergency arise.
An amendment to Illinois House Bill 2789 could result in a flurry of complaints against private and public schools for alleged violations of COVID-19 protocols, provides harsh penalties, including punishing teachers, and expands state authority over private schools.
“I’m praying and hoping that the Empower scholarship stays in place because there are so many families that could use it."
In-person learning will resume in the fall, the Illinois State Board of Education has decided. Whether kids will still be required to wear masks and sit behind plastic shields in the fall remains to be decided.