LM Aug 2020

Message From the Executive Director Hope is Sometimes Found in Unusual Places

Dr. Brent Clark

At the national level, trials just got underway to determine the viability of a vaccine. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, there is a definite possibility the United States will have an effective vaccine against COVID-19 by early next year. Dr. Fauci told Congress last Friday he’s “cautiously optimistic that we will have a vaccine by the end of this year and as we go into 2021. I don’t think it’s dreaming...I believe it’s a reality (and) will be shown to be reality.” I realize that doesn’t help with your reopening plans for this school year, but it shows there is hope normalcy can return. The evolution of new information on COVID-19 is faster than anything we have ever seen. In the meantime, the best thing superintendents can do is stick together. Don’t try to face the challenges alone; build your network. Reach out to the IASA Board of Directors, members of the IASA COVID-19 Transition Team, your IASA Region Officers, peers in your region or your peers across the state. Learn how they are managing issues with their local school boards, parents and bargaining units. Chances are, they are facing similar problems. Not one person has all the answers as to what is best for your community but, together, we can find the best path forward.

Finding the words to write for this column wasn’t easy. As I type, my heart aches for superintendents across the state who have been put in a nearly impossible situation of trying to balance the safety of students and staff with what’s best for student learning. Complicating matters is the struggle district leaders face as they try to reconcile local community involvement relative to ever changing science and data. There is blame to go around at the federal, state and local levels for why it is this way. You’re not wrong in feeling frustrated. I share your pain. However, I don’t want to use this space to cast blame on others. That’s what Twitter is for (just kidding). What I want to talk about is hope. Right now, it’s hard to find. There is so much darkness that it’s hard to see any light. But it’s strange how sometimes we can find hope in unusual places. This past weekend, the NBA restarted its regular season. You may recall it was a positive COVID-19 test of a Utah Jazz player that kickstarted the unraveling of normalcy. Soon after, in-person learning was suspended, stay-at-home orders went into effect and we all became familiar with the term social distancing. When I turned on the TV and saw NBA players competing again this past weekend, I felt inspired. A group of incredibly smart people worked together, formed a comprehensive plan and showed it just might be possible for human beings to overcome this nightmare. Of course, public schools in Illinois aren’t privy to the same resources as the NBA, nor do they have the luxury of creating a bubble, where everyone is isolated from the rest of society. But I mention this not as an apples-to-apples comparison, but to highlight that progress is being made, even if it doesn’t always feel that way.

3 LM August 2020