Updated state education guidelines reduce social distancing for students

The Illinois State Education Board has published updated COVID-19 safety guidelines for schools in which capacity limits for in-person learning will now be determined by the ability of the space to accommodate social distances, not the set capacity limit number or percentage.

For in-person learning, this is defined as 3 to 6 feet for students and fully vaccinated staff. Unvaccinated staff should maintain 6 feet social distance as much as possible.

Additionally, unvaccinated staff should maintain as much social distance as possible from students and full immunized staff as possible, according to ISBE. The board no longer recommends that the school perform symptom screening on school grounds, but said schools may continue to do so if they prefer.

Face masks must be worn at all times in school buildings even when social distancing is maintained. Most students, including those with disabilities, can tolerate and safely wear a face mask. There is significant evidence that face masks provide protection and decrease the spread of COVID-19. 

Evidence suggests that staff-to-staff transmission is more common than transmission from students to students. Districts and schools may wish to consider "staggering" schedules for arrivals/dismissals. 

All public and nonpublic schools in Illinois serving prekindergarten through 12th-grade students must follow these essential, layered mitigation strategies. In-person instruction should be prioritized over extracurricular activities to minimize the risk of transmission. 

As of March 2021, 91 percent of Illinois school districts were providing some in-person instruction under Gov. JB Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, which laid out a public health approach to safely reopen the state. This does not signify a return to pre-pandemic operations, authors say.

The families of students at an increased risk of serious illness must be provided with the possibility of remote learning, the board said in a statement. ISBE says they will continue to give priority to vaccination until all staff and teachers have received the vaccine. 

According to ABC 7, IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said the State did not see "lots of transmission within schools," and it was a "very controlled setting." 

Suburban high schools say limited in-person learning can be done without outbreaks of COVID, and suburban schools are planning to expand some in-person learning after their initial return to classrooms.

According to the CDC, K-12 schools should be the last setting to close after all other mitigation measures.