Pritzker encourages school districts to prepare for e-learning in fall 2020

Gov J.B. Pritzker said school districts should take time over the summer months to develop in a press conference Sunday. 

Dave Dahl from WTAX asked if teachers and administrators should spend their time over summer months preparing e-learning or in-person learning. 

Pritzker said, “I would prepare for both because it is still unclear what things will look like over the summer and into the fall. But without knowing the answer, e-learning is an important thing for us to develop.”

Illinois students have not been in school since March 17. They began remote learning March 31.

The remote learning model that teachers are providing for students during the end of the 2020-21 school year differs from e-learning plans. 

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, Illinois allowed school districts to develop an e-learning plan to be approved by the ISBE. eLearning was to be used on no more than five school days per year and would count as attendance days without the need to add emergency days to the end of the school year.

Pritzker said that the state has learned a lot in the last five weeks without in-person school. 

“What we’ve learned in that short period of time is that many, many schools are not ready for e-learning, but should be,” he said. “The state actually has funds available to help school districts, to work with school districts, to help spin up e-learning.

“I would encourage administrations and teachers to work very hard on making sure that’s available just in case.”

Pritzker said even after the pandemic, he could see education moving to a platform that couples in-person learning with e-learning.