Delegates to the National Education Association’s annual meeting again called for mask and vaccine mandates, as well as remote learning. On Nov. 8 voters will decide whether to grant Illinois union bosses more power to set school policy.
Illinois is far from finished with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s statewide COVID-19 mandates, but another Democratic governor just said the emergency is over and the state shouldn’t be making people wear masks anymore.
A class-action lawsuit filed by 88 Illinois teachers seeks to block Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 mandates on shots, tests and vaccinations for school personnel.
New COVID-19 cases have surged across Illinois, leading some state leaders to question why the only state east of the Mississippi with a universal mask mandate is seeing worse case rates than those without a mandate.
The mayor of Illinois’ third-largest city, Naperville, said it is time for Illinois to drop its statewide indoor mask mandate. Illinois is the only state east of the Mississippi with an indoor mask mandate regardless of vaccination status.
A group of school district superintendents called on the Illinois State Board of Education to oppose statewide mask and other mandates, letting local schools decide how best to handle COVID-19 mitigation.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker teased Illinoisans in mid-October that he might lift the statewide mask mandate if new COVID-19 cases declined. But he recently pulled back on that hope, leaving Illinois as one of the few states with a statewide mask mandate.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker hinted Illinoisans could see indoor mask mandates lifted if state coronavirus transmissions continue to fall. He wouldn’t give a specific target.
Private schools will be granted a 60-day probation to address COVID-19 compliance issues in line with public school standards under ISBE’s updated policy. Nonrecognized schools were put on probation status Oct. 1.
After years of enhanced revenue from federal aid, a return to the basic principles of budgeting can put Illinois on the path to long-term financial stability