Governor JB Pritzker laid out the structuring for how schools will be able to reopen this fall as part of the Phase-4 recovery plan, which takes effect Friday.

The state will leave it to individual districts to create their own safety plan, but Pritzker says all schools should maximize in-person instruction for students, and he's instituted a host of safety measures that he says will allow districts some flexibility.

Here's some of what Governor Pritzker detailed in his statement yesterday:

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.

With the possibly of a surge in COVID-19 cases in the fall, districts are also being told to submit plans to return to remote learning if needed.

Regarding school reopening guidelines, the state board of education does not plan to review each individual district's safety protocols. Instead, oversight would be left to county health departments.

 

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