Last week, ISBE published long-awaited guidance related to remote learning for the 2021-2022 school year. We have been anticipating this guidance since early in the summer when ISBE announced that school would, with limited...more
It is hard to believe that it has been nine months since the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health issued their Part 3 – Transition Joint Guidance, “Starting the 2020-2021 School Year.”...more
Our Franczek team received many inquiries about staffing options for classrooms where the teacher of record is teaching remotely. While many districts are staffing these classrooms with licensed paraprofessionals, the...more
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) updated its COVID-19 FAQ and Exclusion Guidance last week. As we previously reported, the IDPH released Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for schools in August to supplement but...more
Schools planning for students to return to campus in person this fall are confronting many significant challenges, including how to support students who may need physical restraint while also maintaining safe practices to...more
On June 25, 2020, we issued a frequently asked questions document, “40 Answers to Your Phase 4 Questions: Practical FAQs on ISBE’s Phase 4 School Reopening Guidance,” clarifying ISBE and IDPH joint guidance for Phase 4 school...more
On June 23, 2020, the Illinois State Board of Education (“ISBE”) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (“IDPH”) released a guidance document addressing return to school during Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan this...more
On May 15, 2020, ISBE issued the first part of its recommendations for transitioning to in-person instruction, Considerations for Closing the 2019-20 School Year & Summer 2020: Part 1 – Transition Plan. The plan contains a...more
Spring break abroad, prom, senior night, senior breakfast, baccalaureate, awards night, and walking across the stage at graduation in front of faculty, family, and friends. The list of events that Illinois high school seniors...more
And so it begins. While we have encouraged schools to focus on meeting student needs during the school closure and planning to meet student needs when we return to school buildings, we knew the temptation to jump ahead to...more
As we previously reported, on March 27, 2020, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Governor issued several resource documents that address changes to the remote learning landscape in Illinois schools during...more
As the issues related to the mandated school closures in response to the COVID-19 crisis continue to rapidly evolve, the Governor extended the closure through April 7, and in all likelihood, Illinois schools will remain...more
On March 18, 2020, ISBE issued guidance on providing special education during the current mandatory two-week school closure. While the guidance responds to some of the questions arising from this unprecedented situation,...more
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) updated its Mandatory Statewide School Closure Guidance for Illinois Schools and School Districts yesterday for the fourth time since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019...more
Governor JB Pritzker’s recent order that all K-12 schools in Illinois be closed between March 17 and March 30 has left school districts scrambling to prepare to close school tomorrow. On Saturday, March 14, ISBE updated its...more
In the wake of Governor Pritzker’s recent order requiring all Illinois schools to close between March 17 and March 30, many schools and school districts have been left guessing how to best serve students with disabilities and...more
As we discuss in our COVID-19 Guide for Illinois Schools, the Illinois State Board of Education issued guidance on March 10, 2020, addressing school responses to the coronavirus pandemic. ISBE intends to update this document...more