Updated 6/23/2020 4:24 PM
Children across Illinois are expected to return to school this fall — a welcome development after months of remote learning but one bringing challenges and changes in the COVID-19 era.
State officials released guidelines for school districts to follow Tuesday, as the number of Illinoisans dying from COVID-19 grew by 38 while the number of cases increased by 601, authorities reported. The plan affects kindergarten through grade 12, plus universities and colleges.
“The benefits of in-person instruction can’t be overstated,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a briefing.
How schools return to normal will be up to individual districts in consultation with state and county authorities. And it may mean that remote learning continues at some districts. The guidelines allow schools to blend in-class and remote learning.
“However, the strong emphasis is on providing in-person learning for all students to the greatest extent possible, especially for higher-need students and younger students,” Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman Jackie Matthews said.
Parents eager to learn the new drill will have to wait a bit, administrators said.
“We anticipate sharing information with our community in early July,” Indian Prairie Unit District 204 spokeswoman Janet Buglio said.
“District 204 has a team of administrators that has been working on a plan to safely reopen our schools,” Buglio said, adding educators will review the guidelines to ensure the district is in compliance.
The 60 pages of guidelines “will go a long way toward answering critical questions all of us share about what the 2020-21 school year will look like,” Downers Grove District 58 Superintendent Kevin Russell said.
“Right now, we don’t have all the answers to specifics of the reopening as this document was released to school districts at the same time it was released to the public.”
The new rules include wearing masks, a cap on 50-person gatherings per room and social distancing when possible in schools. The state will also provide 2.5 million free cloth masks for students and teachers.
Intensive cleaning and health screenings with temperature checks will be instituted.
Schools were closed in mid-March and districts instituted remote learning, meaning everything from graduations to field days were conducted virtually.
“This fall will not be ‘business as usual’ in more ways than one,” State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala said. “I urge schools to use summer to readjust curricula to honor these historic times and to continue to be diligent in following safety protocols.”
The number of COVID-19 cases statewide are 137,823, while total deaths stand at 6,707.
The state’s average daily infection rate over the past week is at the lowest point since the outbreak began, Illinois Department of Public Health officials reported.
Health officials are reporting that just 2.4% of the tests taken over the past week resulted in a new case.
IDPH is also reporting an average of fewer than 600 new cases a day over the past week, also another low.
Meanwhile, testing is at an all-time high with the state averaging 24,453 tests each day over the last seven days.
Hospitalization figures are holding steady statewide. There are 1,648 COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide. COVID-19 admissions have hovered below 1,700 four the past four days. By comparison, there were more than 5,000 people hospitalized with the virus in late April.
Additionally, COVID-19 patients are taking up just 11% of the state’s intensive care beds. IDPH is reporting 424 COVID-19 patients in ICU beds. Half of the state’s ICU beds are available, according to IDPH figures.
On Monday, the Pritzker administration released guidelines for residents, business and industries to shift into Phase 4, or Revitalization, of a four-region, five-phase reopening plan. Schools reopening also fall into Phase 4.
