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Message From the Executive Director Superintendents and Boards of Education KnowTheir Communities Best. For 2021–22 School Year,#MakeItLocalIL

Dr. Brent Clark

about the upcoming school year and can’t provide concrete answers to their constituents. It’s a no-win situation. In her weekly message, State Superintendent Dr. Carmen Ayala said the Illinois Department of Public Health anticipates that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will issue its updated guidance for schools in early July, which will then allow IDPH to finalize and issue updated guidance for Illinois schools. Dr. Ayala continues: “While we all wish this could come more quickly, we are hopeful that the CDC will provide additional insight into requirements for social distancing, mask wearing, and other mitigations that schools are taking. We recommend planning for both looser CDC guidance and the potential that current mitigations will remain in place.” That’s not what superintendents want to hear right now, and Dr. Ayala acknowledges she wishes she could say more. The clock, of course, is ticking. The first day of school in one district is August 2. On Friday, June 25, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker re-issued an executive order that extended mask and social distance requirements in schools through July 24. Gov. Pritzker also recently said his administration expects the Delta variant “to dominate our cases statewide by the fall.” That doesn’t sound like someone who is ready to loosen restrictions on schools. If I learned anything over the years, it’s rarely easy in Illinois. It took years of advocating for school funding reform, and the possibility of schools closing doors, before Evidence-Based Funding was signed into law. In this case, I believe local control is the best path forward. Superintendents demonstrated the ability to layer mitigations as needed the past school year and are uniquely qualified to make decisions that can keep kids safe. Let’s push forward and make our voices heard. #MakeItLocalIL

Like you, I’m frustrated. In May, I encouraged each of you to recharge your batteries after an incredibly stressful year because the state had not released any reopening guidance for the 2021–22 school year. Well, here we are on July 1...and the wait continues. The stakes are high. Some schools simply cannot operate at full capacity and adhere to social distancing at the same time. There’s also major questions on close contacts, quarantine protocols and if students and staff will be required to wear masks, among other things. There are many different ideas on what the state should do. At the end of the day, I believe superintendents and their Boards of Education know their communities best. They were elected by their community and are qualified to make the right decision for their community. The hashtag #MakeItLocalIL on Twitter has gained traction and is an easy way for superintendents to advocate collectively. I also encourage you to reach out to your local legislators and members of Congress. We have to keep pressing forward and make our voices heard on both the state and national levels. At IASA, we are continuing the dialogue with state leaders and collecting information about how neighboring states plan to approach this upcoming school year in terms of COVID-19 guidelines. Not surprisingly, school will likely look much different in some of our neighboring states. At this time, both Iowa and Indiana will not be requiring masks, social distancing and close contacts to quarantine (Iowa students who show symptoms may have to quarantine). Generally speaking, districts in those states are not planning to implement large-scale COVID-19 testing. It’s a different ball game in Illinois. At IASA, we remain committed to supporting administrators every step of the way, including the continuation of the IASA COVID-19 Transition Team. Grassroots advocacy has helped in the past, and it will play a role in how this all shakes out. But right now, we’re stuck waiting—and it’s frustrating. Superintendents are being bombarded with emails and calls

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