Pritzker’s Plan To Prevent Resurgence Of COVID-19, New Guidelines For IL School Districts
As coronavirus cases surge nationwide, Governor J.B. Pritzker introduced a new plan to address a resurgence in Illinois.
Champaign Unit 4 Schools To Prioritize In-Person Teaching For The Most Vulnerable Students This Fall
CHAMPAIGN – The Champaign Unit 4 School District is changing their reopening plans for this fall. At a meeting this week, the district’s Board of Education asked school administrators to target special education, emergent bilingual learners and other vulnerable students for in-person instruction — with everyone else beginning the school year virtually. The district released […]
Back To School Guidance Expected This Month
A list of health and safety guidelines for getting students back in classrooms is scheduled to be released before the end of the month. It will provide…
ISBE: IL Schools Can Now Offer Summer In-Person Learning
Illinois schools are now able to welcome students back for some types of in-person learning during the summer. The State Board of Education has issued…
Illinois Schools Receive Federal Stimulus Aid, Questions Remain On How Money Gets To Private Schools
Illinois school districts will receive more than half a billion dollars in federal stimulus funds as a result of the CARES Act. School districts across the state are now applying for about $512 million dollars that the Illinois State Board of Education will distribute based on how many low-income students districts serve. The money is […]
Taylorville Senior Fights The State For A Meaningful Graduation
School districts across the state have been resourceful in coming up with ways to honor their high school graduates, as health regulations prohibit the…
COVID-19 Leaves Blind Students Even Further Behind
Amber McKeag says her son Darrin received little braille instruction before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Illinois. Now, she says, he doesn’t receive any. McKeag and her family live in a rural part of Mercer County, on the Iowa-Illinois border. Her son, Darrin, who is about to turn 10, suffers from Bardet-Biedl syndrome. As a result, […]
Champaign Unit 4 Superintendent: District Is Meeting Technology, Food Needs Of Families
Champaign Unit 4 Schools Superintendent Susan Zola says the district is on track to meet the digital needs of its families as e-learning continues through the end of the school year. In general, she has a positive outlook on the remainder of the school year, as well as what might be in store for the […]
‘It’s Exhausting’: Illinois Special Needs Parents Struggle With Remote Learning Days
Betsy Crosswhite says it felt like a punch in the gut when her son’s school closed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. That’s when she realized she would need to become her son Shane’s teacher and therapist. Crosswhite and her family live in Wilmette. She and her husband have three kids, including Shane, 15, […]
Illinois School Closures Spotlight Opportunity Gap For Poor Students
About half of Gladys Marquez’s students can’t access the internet at home. Marquez teaches English language learners at Dwight Eisenhower High School in Blue Island on Chicago’s south side. The school serves predominantly students of color from low-income backgrounds. Marquez says her students are fortunate to attend a school district that provides an iPad to […]
News Around Illinois – March 30, 2020
Governor Vows To Increase Testing As COVID-19 Cases Surge CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois will soon more than double the number of COVID-19 tests it can administer each day as the number of cases in the state surged. Public health officials announced 1,105 new cases, including 18 deaths on Sunday. Overall, Illinois has […]
Illinois State Board Of Education Orders Schools To Begin Remote Learning
The Illinois State Board of Education announced late last week that remote learning days will start for students across the state Tuesday, March 31 and will continue until in-person classes resume. These days are counted as school days and do not need to be made up at the end of year. Districts are instructed to […]
Cafeteria Workers, School Staff On The Front Lines Delivering Food To Illinois Students
Dawnal Mahan is an essential employee. She manages the cafeteria inside Chatham Elementary School, a kindergarten through fourth grade school in the small town located south of Springfield. While most teachers aren’t in the building, Mahan is still going to work each school day to prepare pre-packaged meals for students — including breakfast and lunch. […]
What Caregivers Can Do With Kids Home From School Due To Coronavirus Closings
Elementary and secondary schools in Illinois are closed through at least March 30 to slow the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. The Illinois State Board of Education says those days won’t count toward student instruction. Caregivers and parents can still provide educational instruction to children at home, however. Numerous online […]
News Around Illinois – March 10, 2020
Lawmakers Pushing For Privacy Protections From Smart Speakers SPRINGFIELD – A pair of Illinois lawmakers want privacy protections for data from smart appliances and virtual home assistants. State Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) says the information collected by those devices deserves the same protection as everything else in a home. The legislation would require police to get a […]