ILLINOIS (WCIA) — The Illinois Federation of Teachers is calling for remote learning during the 2020-2021 school year, saying the “stakes are too high to return to in-person instruction right now.”
“The COVID-19 positivity rate in Illinois is unstable and on the rise in some regions,” IFT said in a statement Monday. “Surges of spread, infections and death are a very real possibility.”
The union’s statement comes nearly a month after Gov. JB Pritzker gave school districts the green light to open their doors to in-person learning.
The state has put forth some guidance — including a mandate on masks, social distancing and increasing school-wide cleaning and disinfection — but school districts have been given flexibility on how to implement that guidance.
IFT, however, says that guidance isn’t enough, and cites a “lack of a practical safety plan” as justification for remote-only learning.
“The members of the Illinois Federation of Teachers are eager to return to in-person instruction, but we have grave concerns for the safety of our students, their families and communities, and the educators of this state,” IFT said in a statement. “We believe that some types of in-person instruction can be achieved with health and safety mitigation, but absent a practical safety plan that includes the guidance below and incorporates a clear line of responsibility and enforcement, we call for the 2020-2021 school year to begin with remote learning.”
You can read IFT’s full statement on what’s necessary for a return to in-person learning below.