Today, Governor JB Pritzker announced guidelines that will allow K-12 schools, community colleges, and higher education institutions to safely resume in person instruction for the upcoming academic year. To help schools meet these guidelines and prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) will provide public K-12 districts in Illinois with 2.5 million cloth face masks, allowing K-12 schools to provide a cloth face mask to all students and staff.
The governor was joined by Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Director Dr. Carmen Ayala, Illinois Association of School Boards Executive Director Tom Bertrand, Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Executive Director Ginger Ostro and Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) Executive Director Dr. Brian Durham for today’s announcement. This guidance follows the release of industry-specific guidelines for Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan, announced yesterday.
“Classroom learning provides necessary opportunities for our students to learn, socialize, and grow. The benefits of in-person instruction can’t be overstated,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Today ISBE, IBHE, and ICCB are issuing guidance that will serve as baseline public health requirements and expectations for the return of in-person learning this fall in P-12 schools and higher education, including all public school districts, non-public schools, colleges and universities. In close consultation with IDPH, infectious disease experts at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and other public health professionals, the guidance focuses on keeping students, teachers and families healthy and safe. It recognizes that Illinois is a diverse state, and school districts and institutions of higher education across Illinois will face unique challenges in how they’ll operate within their communities.”
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) received $569 million in federal funding from the CARES Act for K-12 education, approximately $512 million of which will go directly to school districts to address local needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. IBSE will use the remaining $54.1 million to provide additional funding to schools in six categories: laptops and tablets, internet connectivity, virtual coaching for teachers, professional development, and support for entities who cannot receive direct funds due to ineligibility for Title I.
Local education agencies must apply to ISBE to receive funding from the CARES Act and the amount received will be based on the number and percentage of low-income students they serve. ISBE has already received applications from 580 local education agencies for this funding, with the goal of purchasing a variety of tools and resources, including technology devices, WiFi hotspots, and health and safety equipment for schools in need. Local school districts also plan to use funding to hire mental health support staff to provide services for students, families, and staff. ISBE has approved 534 applications thus far and distributed nearly three million dollars in funds.
GUIDANCE FOR K-12 SCHOOLS
The guidance released by ISBE and IDPH today allows schools to bring students back to school buildings in the fall while ensuring the health and safety of students and staff remains the top priority. The guidance was developed in collaboration with 56 educators, superintendents, social workers, nurses, and other stakeholders from across the state. View the guidance here.
“Nothing compares to face-to-face interactions between students and their teachers,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “The dedication of Illinoisans to social distancing over the past several months has allowed us to plan to bring students back to classrooms this fall while keeping health and safety our number one priority. This fall will not be ‘business as usual’ in more ways than one. Our students will return to us transformed and hungry for knowledge that contextualizes current events. I urge schools to use summer to readjust curricula to honor these historic times and to continue to be diligent in following safety protocols.”
Each school district will determine how to implement the guidance based on its unique student enrollment, school facilities, staffing, transportation, and technological capacity. ISBE strongly encourages schools and districts to provide in-person instruction for all students, especially those under age 13, to ensure children have rich instructional environments.
The IDPH requirements for schools to reopen in Phase 4 are:
• Require use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including face coverings;
• Prohibit more than 50 individuals from gathering in one space;
• Require social distancing whenever possible;
• Conduct symptom screenings and temperature checks or require self-certification that individuals entering school buildings are symptom free; and
• Increase schoolwide cleaning and disinfection.
To ensure Illinois school districts are able to obtain the necessary supplies to resume in person instruction safely, ISBE and the Chief Procurement Office Bureau of Strategic Sourcing have secured several joint purchase agreements that K-12 can utilize to obtain supplies at prices that may be more competitive than purchasing on their own. ISBE will continue to expand the number of purchasing agreements in the coming weeks.
“In developing this guidance, we have put a focus on making sure in-person instruction is done safely and in an equitable way,” said Brenda Calvin, principal of Sauk Elementary School in Matteson and a member of the Transition Advisory Workgroup. “As a principal, I am looking forward to seeing students and teachers back in the classroom, and this document provides administrators across the state with the guidance and support they need to plan for the fall, no matter what their school looks like. I thank ISBE, IDPH, and Governor Pritzker for continuing to emphasize equity as we return to in-person instruction and for continuing to care for the well-being of all students in the state of Illinois.”
“The Phase 4 guidance for schools focuses on the unique context of the 852 school districts in the state of Illinois,” said Dr. Jennifer Garrison, superintendent of Vandalia Community Unit School District 203. “We acknowledge and thank the Governor’s Office for the emphasis on local control. We must focus on the safety of our staff and students first and foremost and at the same time be creative in how we return to learning in-person, specifically in Vandalia Schools. The opportunity to have a seat at the table and bring the downstate rural voice to the table is greatly appreciated. As educators, we have had many challenges before, and now is our time to turn the challenges before us into a unique opportunity to innovate with a laser-like focus on equity.”
“I am grateful that ISBE reached out to a variety of education stakeholders in developing this transition plan,” said Lindsey Jensen, 2018 Illinois Teacher of the Year, member of the Transition Advisory Workgroup, and teacher at Dwight Township High School. “In these unprecedented times, we are each other’s greatest resource. Having a variety of voices at the proverbial table ensures that we are considering all facets of education so that we can equitably meet the needs of all students when they return to our buildings.”
GUIDANCE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) established guidelines for higher education institutions to safely reopen their classrooms based on input from IDPH and higher education leaders throughout Illinois. When students return to campus this fall, they can expect new prevention measures from colleges and universities including social distancing, physical spacing, hand sanitizing stations, face covering requirements, and regular monitoring of students for symptoms of COVID-19.
Schools are developing policies around traffic flow, cleaning of public spaces, and staggered schedules for the use of laboratories, auditoriums and other group facilities. Small-group sessions and meetings with professors will also have to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Nevertheless, colleges expect dormitories, cafeterias, libraries, bookstores, and other amenities of college life to be available to students, subject to the approved guidelines.
“The path to personal success runs right through our schools, classrooms, colleges and universities. A good education means a good future for you and your families. When the economy rebounds, we want our students to be prepared for those jobs and that means–stay the course and stay in school,” said Ginger Ostro, IBHE Executive Director.
The full list of guidelines is available at The Illinois Board of Higher Education website.
COMMUNITY COLLEGES
As each region across the state prepares to enter Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, Illinois community colleges are committed to welcoming students back to campus in the fall of 2020.
“The Illinois Community College Board’s guidance provides community colleges with a roadmap for delivering critical instructional programs within the context of Governor Pritzker’s Restore Illinois,” said Dr. Lazaro Lopez, Chair of the ICCB.
“The guidance will assist all community colleges in the development of plans that ensure the health, safety, and support of students while continuing to provide high quality instruction,” said Dr. Brian Durham, Executive Director of the ICCB.
Guidance for Illinois’ community colleges takes into consideration where each institution is located and is separated into three main categories: General Health and Safety, Instructional Guidelines, and Student Services. Among the key recommendations are:
• In person education will require face coverings to be worn by faculty, staff and students.
• Community colleges should conduct health screenings on employees, students and visitors before each campus visit.
• Community colleges should take additional measures to ensure social distancing and safety as determined by the features of spaces, learning methods, and other factors.
• Each community college should consider the needs of vulnerable staff or students when administering guidelines.
The guidance was developed in partnership with the ICCB’s Return to Campus Committee and approved by IDPH. The full list of guidelines is available at the ICCB website.
FINANCIAL AID ASSISTANCE AND COLLEGE PLANNING
As students prepare to return to higher education institutions this fall, the administration is offering information and guidance regarding financial aid. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) offers assistance to students in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the recently launched Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, a path to financial aid for undocumented and transgender students made possible by Governor Pritzker.
“The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is here to support students on their path to—or back to—college this fall,” said Eric Zarnikow, Executive Director of ISAC. “We continue to provide free resources to help students and families with college planning and financial aid through one-on-one assistance from the ISACorps members in their community, our call center, and the tools and resources on our website, at www.isac.org. If you need help completing your FAFSA or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid or in seeking financial aid adjustments based on changed financial circumstances, or just aren’t sure how to find your educational path beyond high school, please contact us for assistance.”
Thousands of Illinois families are facing new financial challenges as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. If needed, students can seek an adjustment in their financial aid offers from colleges and universities for the fall based on a change in their financial circumstances. Students in need of additional financial assistance should contact the financial aid office at the colleges or universities where they are enrolled or have been admitted. ISAC is available to guide students and families through this process.
ISAC also offers additional support services like “ISAC College Q&A,” a free text messaging service that helps students stay on track with their college plans. Through ISAC College Q&A, students and families can get answers to college planning and financial aid questions, as well as reminders for important deadlines, sent directly to their phones from ISAC experts. Interested families can sign up online here. Assistance is available in English and Spanish.
Families looking for additional resources and links specifically related to returning to campus and financial aid during the COVID-19 pandemic should visit https://www.isac.org/covid-19/.
- Jibba - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 2:59 pm:
The K-12 guidelines are pretty weak tea, relying on the individual districts to put teeth in. Wearing masks and cleaning is good, but social distancing is impossible in most classrooms. Will they do temperature checks of everyone at the door? Might depend on the district. I am not comforted by this.
- Ed Equity - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 3:01 pm:
I think we need some clarity. Guidelines prohibit more than 50 individuals from gathering in one space. Does a space include the school building as a whole, or a classroom? Would mandatory fire-drills break code as kids gather? President Trump was seen as weak when deferring to states to implement guidelines locally. Will the same thing happen to the Governor on schools? I hope not. Local autonomy provides educators the ability to be empowered.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 3:02 pm:
===I think we need some clarity===
Click the provided links.
- Art Graduate - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 3:08 pm:
Thank you Rich,
I’ve learned more about what’s happening with my workplace (community college) from your blog than from upper administration in the last few weeks.
- illinifan - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 3:21 pm:
Most school districts have been reaching out to families and doing polls about how the parents want to see education moving forward for K-12. Some options are half days, full days only a couple of days each week, all day etc. All would be supplemented with on-line learning. The school districts in our area began this process a few weeks ago and figured they would blend their actions with what ISBE advised.
- AndyIllini - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 3:29 pm:
=Wearing masks and cleaning is good, but social distancing is impossible in most classrooms. Will they do temperature checks of everyone at the door? Might depend on the district. I am not comforted by this.=
It’s going to be really tough, especially in the younger grades. You’re probably talking about a teacher touching a kids’ face multiple times a day to help them put the mask back on or adjust it for Kindergarten. For things like learning to read, speech therapy, phonics, seeing the teachers mouth, and the students’ mouth is pretty important. I support the idea of masks but how it plays out in the younger grades is an open question I think. Which makes me think checking temperatures becomes even more important.
- Old Scool - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 3:41 pm:
School lunch breaks will be a mess.
- Top of the State - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 3:47 pm:
I didn’t see preschool. I can’t imagine preschoolers wearing masks. Pre K teachers probably need a clear faceshield so the kids can see their face. Good to see kids back in school, and parents will applaud.
- Jvslp - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 4:05 pm:
Old School,
To guard against lunch time being a mess I think what they will likely do is deliver each classroom their lunches and students will eat in their own classroom.
- Mama - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 4:05 pm:
1. Most kids take a school bus to school and most school buses transport 72 kids each. It is not cost effective to only allow 50 kids on a bus.
- Mama - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 4:07 pm:
2. How will you get kids at any age to wear a mask all day especially when their parents will not wear a mask?
- Mama - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 4:09 pm:
Unfortunately, some kids will choke each other with their mask.
- Mama - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 4:11 pm:
- Jvslp -
That would not work for high school kids.
- Todd - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 4:19 pm:
how are they going to get to class? there are more than 50 people in a hallway in a jr high or highschool
- CJA - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 4:29 pm:
As a high school teacher, I see the guidelines as pretty pie in the sky. Many of the suggestions are not feasible in a high school, even with staggered schedules. I also find it pretty weak with the recommendations for dealing with safety and sick individuals. Most districts already gave a substitute teacher shortage, but the only recommendation is hire more subs. If it were that easy. I also found it weak on monitoring sick students and teachers. If a teacher becomes sick with Covid does that means all the teacher’s classes must now self-quarantine for 14 days. Yes, know the six feet, 15-min rule, but you are talking about classes that run 45 minutes. Lastly, I saw no recommendations for medically compromised teachers or students. If a teacher has diabetes, for example, what is the recommendation for that? As far as guidance goes, the IDPH doc doesn’t say kuch more than districts already surmised. It doesn’t really help or reveal much at all.
- Cubs in '16 - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 4:40 pm:
This will be a logistical nightmare for most schools to implement. Districts better start preparing for remote instruction. And mine at least has to do much better than what took place at the end of last school year.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 4:57 pm:
=And mine at least has to do much better than what took place at the end of last school year.=
For the last two decades we have focused on hands on experiences for students across all curricula, that is best practice. The shift, over the course of a week to e-learning threw out moist best practice for the sake of doing something.
Many thought e-learning could replace teachers and help fill in the gaps created by a shortage and make education cheaper. Many of us knew that was pure folly. E-learning and technology are a valuable supplement, but not the best learning modality for most kids.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 4:58 pm:
Sorry, Anonymous at 4:57 was me.
- Fixer - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 5:13 pm:
Yeah, that’s going to be a problem for most rural schools where some still don’t have AC for the entire school. You want to send kids back requiring them to wear masks in August in IL? No.
- JDuc - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 5:15 pm:
I have heard proposals from a couple districts that will have 2 days of face to face teaching per student per week, the other 3 will be e-learning. Lunch will be served in the classroom.
- Morty - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 5:24 pm:
We waited for this?
ISBE punted again.
This is all on the districts- which is going to mean most of it will not be ‘feasible’.
- CJA - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 5:39 pm:
I forgot to mention this in my prior post…the IDPH doc mentions livestreaming or recording live classes to post for students learning from home. I am fairly certain there are student privacy concerns that might prevent this (but they may be district-specific). Anyway, anotherbidea that sounds good but not practical. For example, what woukd teachers be using to record that livestream? Can’t be their laptops if they need it to run the lesson.
- Cadillac - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 6:43 pm:
Two words: Herd Immunity
You can disagree, but that’s where this is headed. The virus is highly contagious. Need to focus on the hospital capacity.
- Captain Obvious - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 6:54 pm:
Unless they are providing a fresh mask for every every day the mask wearing will last until lunchtime the first day. Good luck.
- Cool Papa Bell - Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 11:00 pm:
There is no path towards herd immunity. Now a few early studies show that antibodies might only last a few months. Much more is needed in understanding that study but you could be immune for 3 months and then not?
To the point of the post. It’s gonna be a mess. Life after Friday the 13th was a mess. I send two kids to a “good district” and E-learning was a joke. Teachers not involved, no education going on and my wife and I at work in essential jobs each day. My kids got shortchanged and they had all the tools provided. The return to in person education is going to be bumpy with these guidelines or other ones.
To schooling - my greatest fear is now a solid school year lost for my boys and nearly every other student.
- Doghouse Riley - Tuesday, Jul 7, 20 @ 9:57 pm:
Primary and secondary schools all over the world (Europe, Japan, Australia) have opened with no restrictions. So far, there is no evidence that school children are spreading the virus to teachers or members of their households.