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* Sun-Times…
State Supt. of Education Carmen Ayala in a Facebook live interview with State Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch this week laid out a number of possibilities for how school might look in the fall, including a return at “full force” — but said it will all depend on how controlled the pandemic is statewide in the coming months.
She specifically referred to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 5-point plan for reopening the state that he revealed Tuesday, which said schools could potentially be a part of Phase 4, requiring the region in which a district is located to have seen a “continued decline” in virus infection rates and hospitalizations.
“How soon we start the school year, that will all depend on the phase we are in, come August, come September,” she told Welch, a Democrat from Westchester. “We will have to see where we are with the coronavirus to determine how much we can gather, if it’s going to be 10, if it’s going to be 50, what that might look like.”
What’s certain, she said, is summer school will be held remotely. After that, she wants districts and schools to prepare for various possibilities and come up with a “plan A, plan B and plan C.”
There could be remote learning in the fall, or “we may see a combination where some children are allowed to come to school on certain days, or we take the upper grades and we are able to spread them out in the school building with social distancing norms,” she said.
The full interview is here. Rep. Welch has been doing a weekly show. Last week, he interviewed the governor’s chief of staff. The week before, he interviewed Chasse Rehwinkle at IDFPR.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:04 am
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Well hopefully CPS has a better plan than what is currently in place. My partner is a teacher in CPS, and remote learning is not working, especially for impoverished communities.
Comment by Chicagonk Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:07 am
I went to a school built for 800 students that enrolled 1600 when I graduated. Crammed halls and overcrowded classrooms were the norm. This new norm we’re blaming on COVID-19 is incomprehensible.
Comment by Adjutant Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:17 am
I’m here to tell you remote learning in a district with all the resources it needs isn’t working all that well either.
I’ve gone from the kids will get caught up to they probably catch up. Nothing replaces in class education, I hope it can be done as safely as possible in the fall.
Comment by Cool Papa Bell Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:18 am
I taught high school for 35 years and currently serve as part time instructor for a small college. We have done our best with online instruction, but it clearly doesn’t match in person instruction. I hope and pray that this eases soon and we can get students back safely.
Comment by Tired Teacher Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:26 am
“.. admits she basically knows nothing…”
A bit harsh, since no one on earth knows what the fall will bring, not even you. At least they are gaming out a few scenarios.
Comment by Jibba Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:35 am
we don’t trade lives for education. If we can’t reopen schools safely, and ensure no one contracts COVID-19, we just can’t do it. We must be guided by science. Science says COVID-19 is highly infectious, and kids can be carriers.
Sorry, parents. We all must do our part, and sacrifice. Not even one death is acceptable. If you don’t like it, go to your parents and grandparents and tell them they must die so your kids can go to school.
We don’t trade lives for anything. Not in Illinois. Not ever.
Comment by JB13 Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:39 am
I agree with JB13. What good is an education if you are dead? You can’t undie.
Comment by Birdseed Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:41 am
@JB13 - we traded lives for a while in February and March when people were being infected and dying before the stay at home order. Illinois did, 49 other states did.
Comment by Cool Papa Bell Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:43 am
The way the news keeps coming out we may realize this has been around a lot longer and we functioned through it. Hoping with schools and other needed functions a realistic path back to “normalcy” is considered.
Comment by Tired Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:52 am
=== You can’t undie.===
That *is* true.
=== “How soon we start the school year, that will all depend on the phase we are in, come August, come September,”… “We will have to see where we are with the coronavirus to determine how much we can gather, if it’s going to be 10, if it’s going to be 50, what that might look like.”===
It is May.
I don’t know anyone who can predict what June will bring, let alone September
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:54 am
How can school be a part of phase 4 when it would require gatherings of more than 50?
Comment by Evanstonian Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:57 am
Pandemics,by their very nature,are unpredictable…without an Eastern Bloc crystal ball?
Comment by Dotnonymous Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:59 am
=== The way the news keeps coming out we may realize this has been around a lot longer and we functioned through it. Hoping with schools and other needed functions a realistic path back to “normalcy” is considered.===
In a 9+ week period, more victims passed due to Coronavirus than were killed during the entire Vietnam war.
The stay at home and other measures slowed it… to that devastating reality.
We’re going to see how devastating these next weeks will be, the frivolous to life might see things different.
To the schools aspect, the measures to 10 to 50, online education is equivalent… but it will never be the same. That’s a truthful observation.
People want “normalcy” soon, I see a new normal emerging before any normalcy can be found.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:01 am
@OW - It is May.
I don’t know anyone who can predict what June will bring, let alone September
== Totally agree. Made the point on another thread. Any plan longer than really 30 to 60 days is wild speculation. Look how much has changed with test and maybe treating in the past 60 days.
- Evanstonian - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:57 am:
How can school be a part of phase 4 when it would require gatherings of more than 50?
= before schools were closed and gatherings were limited. What we were told in our county was that since you “gather” in a class room of less than 50 people your ok. Now that changes lunch rooms and other events. But that’s what we were told in March. Not sure if it holds true today.
Comment by Cool Papa Bell Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:01 am
We just don’t know. Sweden never closed schools, and so far the results don’t look measurably worse. Several other Euro countries have reopened schools; Denmark had a small uptick in R naught. We need more time and more info.
Comment by Molly Maguire Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:17 am
I think Rep. Welch has been doing a great job keeping his constituents informed through his weekly shows. I have learned a lot through this. I hope he continues this after the crisis has passed.
Comment by Someone you Should Know Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:18 am
Schools should be opened in the fall and if there are localized outbreaks, schools should be shut as needed. The default should be opening, or else we risk leaving a generation of children behind, and that is unacceptable.
Comment by Chicagonk Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:34 am
===How can school be a part of phase 4 when it would require gatherings of more than 50?===
Gatherings means non-essential gatherings. Try to keep up here. More than 10 people work in factories now because those factories are essential.
Don’t be so dense.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:40 am
==The default should be opening==
I can picture the classrooms opening…but I’m trying to wrap my head around lunchrooms and hallways…especially at the high schools.
Comment by Jocko Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:43 am
From the perspective of both educator and parent- e-learning is not a suitable replacement for the classroom teacher. 1-1 programs are an important supplemental tool, but as the sole source of instruction it is a definite no. It just does not work for the overwhelming majority of students.
I don’t think students took it as seriously since the ISBE decreed that e-learning could not be require, but the reasons were very understandable. Unfortunately for my kids, the tyrant they live with made them die it every day. I am sure they will appreciate it someday./s
Reading through Ayala’s plan the first time, my first react is that we have a long way to go. I will concede that she is in a no win with this right now because there is certainly a demand for a plan but no good deed goes unpunished.
We are lucky, as a small district we can do social distancing, even at lunch with a little effort and we are in a zone with very low infection numbers.
Comment by JS Mill Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:45 am
It’s tricky enough as-is; try adding in on how IEP’s will have to adjust for those that are developmentally disabled.
Comment by Hello Friend Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:51 am
I hope someone is thinking of contingencies for working parents with their plans A, B, and C. Remote learning and staggered school days assume that someone will be home with the kids. As we move into “phase 3″ and parents get called back to work, this is going to get dicey. The degree that the economy is dependent on schools and after-school care cannot be overstressed.
And for the record, I’m not eager to send my kid back to school with the virus raging. I just want to hold down my job and keep him supervised, and I can’t be in two places at once.
Comment by LakeCo Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:55 am
If the budget Madigan drops May 26 does not have massive spending on technology for schools we are going back in September at the latest. Most IL schools do not have resources to remote learn and currently doing the minimum.
You are going to need 1.5 million tablets for students, 75k laptops for teachers and a lot of hot spots for internet access.
The state is doing nothing to actually get technology in place so the state can function. Even in agencies that generate revenue are idle.
Perhaps if the Governor was in the Capitol he could address some of the problems outside of Chicago.
Comment by the Patriot Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:58 am
==Perhaps if the Governor was in the Capitol==
Oh please. You think he can’t govern anywhere but the Capitol? That is a ridiculous argument, although not a surprising one coming from you.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 12:00 pm
Shout out to LakeCo - I’ve seen a bit more Lake County commenters when I’ve popped in lately.
This contrarian view from a teenager who wants online learning to continue kinda broke my heart. I know overall online classes are a bad substitute, I just wish we could do better for kids like this: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/opinion/coronavirus-pandemic-distance-learning.html
Comment by lake county democrat Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 12:02 pm
Students who are plugged into learning can learn well no matter the mode of instruction. Same true for the opposite end of the spectrum. Those having problems with online instruction were probably resistant to inperson instruction as well. With time it’ll get figured out. Businesses have started to adapt, grocery stores sure have. My feeling is just let it unravel and see where we can go with what looks likely to unfold. Today isn’t the same as 2 months ago when the pandemic first took hold. We need to assess and plan carefully, not jump.
Comment by Ano Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 12:04 pm
=The way the news keeps coming out we may realize this has been around a lot longer and we functioned through it.=
We took a big step by staying home and we still had more than 70K deaths. My concern is that we really haven’t done much to lessen the likelihood of disease spread when we return. The virus hasn’t gone away and our ability to respond to it isn’t all that different than it was before we started staying at home. I think this is why you see polls expressing concerns about opening too early. You have to be able to show people that things are different in a very tangible way. I’m not sure that’s happening.
Comment by Pundent Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 12:05 pm
== We don’t trade lives for anything. Not in Illinois. Not ever. ==
Not true. The highways are open.
Comment by horseplayer Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 12:14 pm
=Oh Please=
Thank you for making my point. People in Chicago and obviously the governor believe they can address the entire state at all times from Chicago. You can’t.
In this instance he is proving he can’t by not addressing issues down state. Springfield is a mess and the we have state agencies operating at a fraction of what they are capable because the Governor won’t address technological needs to get up and running. While it is possible to govern from other locations, the fact remains this governor at this time is not.
Comment by the Patriot Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 12:16 pm
Independent schools will go out of business, or at least 30-50% if they are restricted to models that aren’t worthy of tuition. That will only overcrowd schools further, leading to more crowding still. Dysfunction Junction.
Comment by Ed Equity Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 12:29 pm
If gatherings over 50 are allowed if they are “essential,” (which is how schools would be allowed in Phase 4) how broadly do we define essential? Are football games essential? Band concerts? Those are all school related functions and would have more than 50 people.
There just seems to be a lot of things that need to be clarified as we move through the phases.
Comment by tea_and_honey Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 12:31 pm
Going to ned to extend benefits for parents that need childcare or who can’t go to work if their children are home.
Comment by Frank talks Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 12:44 pm
I spent forty years of university teaching at five different types of public schools (a bit of a rolling stone, I like to see new places and ways of doing things). My observations were that US education from top to bottom is a mess. Even at a top five public, incoming students had difficulty with basic numeracy and communications skills, let alone critical, reasoned argument. At a mid-tier regional it was simply heart-rending to see well-motivated students struggle with the same.
So . . . no, I don’t think things will just work themselves out and that students who are plugged in can or will learn well regardless, while their opposites are doomed to failure. No educator can start with that premise b/c all it does is accept the status quo, and the status quo is not what education is about.
All I can say is, beware easy answers and first steps. Remote learning was a reasonable response in a deep crisis situation, but its limitations were already well known. It can yield basic factual knowledge and the ability to reproduce that knowledge, with some level of basic application, but much beyond that without benefit of in-person instruction and interaction with peers is very difficult. Getting beyond such basic learning was, as said, already a major problem. Now it will be even more challenging.
Saving lives is paramount, yes. But lurking behind the immediate health crisis and an economic crisis still unfolding, there is an educational crisis whose long-term implications aren’t being adequately discussed. We have an entire cohort of learners — K-12, undergraduate, graduate — whose education has been severely disrupted. Especially for K-12 and undergraduate, that disruption will continue into the future, lingering in many ways. Because so much education is cumulative, building layer on layer, the effects of this disruption will also be cumulative, magnifying the already existing crisis.
Opening schools is a necessary first step, yes, but if we let that become our sole focus, we’ll set ourselves for a cascade of social and economic problems that no vaccine will cure. I see too little awareness of and attention to this challenge
All right, I’m done. Peace out.
Comment by Flapdoodle Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 1:12 pm
We live in Chicago and have a great public school, one of if not the highest rated neighborhood elementary. But, privates are well-represented in our neighborhood as well, with at least 2 in the attendance boundary and another 4 within blocks of it.
I’ve heard recently that some of the private school parents are considering sending their kids to our CPS school because their assumption is that a second (third?) wave in the fall will shut everything down again, so why pay the tuition?
Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 1:13 pm
I am in education and it is a struggle at the high school level. The state recommending to not use elearning as a grade has caused many students to “check-out”. Our district has 99% internet access at home and had the capabilities to send a chromebook home with every student that needed one. I agree that it cannot replace face-to-face, but we still have the ability to produce meaningful education.
I agree with State Superintendent that districts should have multiple plans. The diverse nature of Illinois should really should put more emphasis on the local decision-makers to do what is best for their own district. The needs from district-to-district vary widely.
On a side note, the fact it is year 2020 and many districts are 1 to 1, it was a let down as Propublica wrote about at the lack of preparedness for remote learning, especially since a lot of rural districts missed nearly 3 weeks of school last year due to winter weather.
https://www.propublica.org/article/most-illinois-school-districts-did-not-have-approved-e-learning-plans-before-the-pandemic
Comment by Mr. Hand Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 1:27 pm
Mr. Hand,
I’ve heard that a lot, that students check out because they know there is no grade. Shouldn’t the students have some kind of intrinsic motivation to want to learn? Some kind of curiosity? They’re not stones.
Comment by cermak_rd Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 2:22 pm
=those having problems with online instruction were probably resistant to in person instruction as well=
Or, more likely, do not have the necessary equipment or internet access. That’s been a huge problem.
Comment by JoanP Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 2:31 pm
Cermak,
I agree, I stress that all the time. However, 15-17 year olds might not be mature enough to understand the value of their education.
Some do get it, not all students are checked out. The motivated ones are doing great. Some parents are making others do it. However, the external motivation of a grade would get a significant portion of students to participate even if they don’t see immediate value.
Comment by Mr. Hand Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 2:59 pm
Pundent ===My concern is that we really haven’t done much to lessen the likelihood of disease spread when we return.===
What is your plan for reopening? Someone described the current shut down approach to sticking one’s head under water to avoid the virus, but you can’t keep it there forever and when you pull your head up to breathe the virus is still there.
Seriously, what is the plan? Believe Trump when he says the Virus will magically go away when summer comes? Wait for a vaccine though we’ve spent decades and billions of dollars and have never developed a vaccine against any coronavirus ?
Seriously, what is the plan?
Note: When looking at total deaths and the shut down orders, please don’t confuse correlation with causation. In this case, shut downs may have slowed deaths but so far most of the “evidence” I’ve heard is “it’s obvious,” “it’s common sense” that one caused the other, and that no further evidence is needed beyond “common sense.”
Comment by Trying to Be Rational Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 3:25 pm
=== Seriously, what is the plan?===
This blog might be too much for you.
The governor laid out a plan.
If you have question to that, then ask.
Pretending nothing has been released is disingenuous to even what Rich posted on the plan.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 3:27 pm
==Seriously, what is the plan?==
Well, the President presented a plan. The Governor has presented a plan. So, seriously, are you not aware of this or are you being purposefully dense?
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 3:47 pm
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 3:27 pm:
=== Seriously, what is the plan?===
This blog might be too much for you.
That gave me the best laugh I’ve had in awhile…Thanks O.W.
Comment by Dotnonymous Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 4:51 pm
=Gatherings means non-essential gatherings. Try to keep up here. More than 10 people work in factories now because those factories are essential.
Don’t be so dense.=
School is essential
Comment by AndyIllini Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 5:17 pm
===intrinsic motiviation………they’re not stones===
You, sir, are not a teacher apparently and have not spent any time in a classroom. Some are stones. Sorry, but……….
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 5:32 pm
=Seriously, what is the plan?=
It’s called the three Ts. Google it. There are others as well if you don’t like that one. Other countries have figured this out. We used to lead at this kind of stuff. Now we just whine.
Comment by Pundent Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 7:50 pm