Guv rings school bell for return to class

Colleges, schools prepare for fall, subject to change ‘with a dramatic reversal or a second wave of the virus’

Gov. Pritzker sets basic standards for the return to classrooms in schools and colleges at a news conference Tuesday at the Thompson Center. (Illinois.gov)

By Ted Cox

As the state prepared to move into the fourth phase of the Restore Illinois plan to reopen the economy on Friday, Gov. Pritzker set standards for the safe return to classrooms for students in schools and colleges under that phase, expected to still be in effect in the fall.

Proclaiming “the return of in-person learning,” Pritzker held a news conference at the Thompson Center in Chicago on Tuesday along with leading state education officials and Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. He said the emphasis was on “keeping students, teachers, and families healthy and safe” with the return to classrooms and campuses.

Schools will be urged to establish their own policies, given the unique conditions of their facilities and their students, under distinct guidelines set for public schools under the Illinois State Board of Education, universities under the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and community colleges under the Illinois Community College Board.

Basically, though, the guidelines call for students and teachers to continue to observe what Ezike is now calling the Three W’s: wash your hands, watch your social distancing, and wear a face covering. Classes and other student gatherings will also be expected to observe the maximum of 50 people under the statewide Phase 4 guidelines.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike is now advocating the Three W’s: wash your hands, watch your social distancing, and wear a face covering.

(Illinois.gov)

Stressing the importance of making sure poor students have the same opportunities for learning as anyone else, Pritzker said the Illinois Emergency Management Agency would be distributing 2.5 million cloth masks for every student and teacher across the state, and he called on schools to apply for federal coronavirus relief funding, including funds “to close the digital divide.”

He pointed out, “The pandemic has heightened every inequality and injustice in our nation.”

Pritzker emphasized the importance of face-to-face instruction, but also warned, “The virus has not gone away. It is still affecting and infecting people.” He said the education policy was subject to change “with a dramatic reversal … or a second wave of the virus” and that schools must be prepared for a “return to remote instruction” if need be.

“It will be different in different school districts,” Pritzker granted, adding that “the ability of kids to get to school is another challenge potentially.”

State Supt. of Education Carmen Ayala said schools would be granted leeway to set their own policies because “reopening in southern Illinois is not the same as reopening in suburban or urban districts.” She added, “This fall will not be business as usual,” but that the emphasis would be to “maximize in-person instruction for all students,” while allowing that schools “must be prepared to return to remote learning if the virus surges again.”

Tom Bertrand, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Boards, said a “blended” approach was possible, mixing classroom instruction with remote learning.

Ginger Ostro, executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, said the priority at colleges would be to “put campus health and safety first.”

Pritzker showered Illinoisans with praise for the way they’ve led the way in how to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s our behavior that has made all the difference,” he said. The governor chided other states that had reopened their economies “too quickly” and without restrictions, resulting in almost half the states now seeing rises in COVID-19 cases.

“Illinois has seen declining case and declining fatality totals week after week for the past five weeks,” Ezike said. “The steps we have taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 are indeed working.”

Taking a subtle swipe at President Trump, who has insisted this week that reducing testing would of course lead to fewer cases being detected, Ezike said, “Please forget what you’ve heard. Increased testing is a good thing.”

Ezike reported 601 new COVID-19 cases statewide Tuesday, bringing the Illinois total to 137,825. Some 38 new deaths took the state toll to 6,707. But Ezike pointed out that was down from the peak of 4,000 new cases in a day six weeks ago, and 191 deaths in a day on May 13. Coronavirus hospitalizations were also down dramatically across the board.

Ezike urged parents to schedule routine annual checkups for students ahead of the fall return to school. She endorsed a general policy to “start low and go slow” in reopening, adding, “We’re going to be in this Phase 4 quite a while.”

Pritzker said the move to the fifth phase, basically removing all restrictions in a return to something resembling the previous “normal,” would only come with a very effective treatment for COVID-19 or a vaccine.