The next scheduled meeting of the 220 Board of Education is January 12, 2021.
A researcher from the University of Illinois Springfield said data shows schools are safe and should be reopened.
Nearly 1.2 million of the state’s 1.9 million students were fully remote as of Dec. 18, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
In Chicago on Monday, the public schools were opened for in-person education, but there were issues with teachers union members worried about their health. Other districts across the state are eying reopening dates with boards considering votes to bring students back for some form of in-person learning.
UIS professor Gary Reinbold said data he reviewed from nearly a dozen different studies indicates in-person education is safe.
Reinbold said data he’s reviewed is clear, this far into the pandemic schools should reopen for in-person instruction, even if a blended model.
“It’s a low-risk activity,” Reinbold said. “It’s certainly not a no-risk activity, but when you start thinking about benefits and costs, the benefits are just so high in having children in school and if the risk seems to be quite low it doesn’t seem to be a difficult decision anymore.”
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Related: “D220 to offer families choice to participate in Hybrid or Distance Learning starting Jan. 19”
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