The decision to close schools or keep them open during a pandemic should be made locally, not at the state level, said Tom Martens, a candidate for Illinois state representative for District 72.
“School closures should be on a local level, closest to the parents and children,” the candidate told the Rock Island Today.
Many people Martens has met on the campaign trail believe Gov. J.B. Pritzker went too far during the pandemic.
“No governor should be able to tell citizens, schools or businesses what they can or can’t do,” Martens said. ” I will introduce legislation that says mandates or executive orders are not laws to be used as weapons against citizens. I have met more freedom-loving people than communists that (believe) the governor went way too far.”
A UNICEF report from October 2021 found that government-mandated lockdowns and school closures negatively impacted children, leading to more fear, stress, anxiety, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, loss of learning, irregular physical activity and sleeping habits.
Enrollment in Pre-K-12 schools in Illinois declined by 3.6%, or roughly 70,000 students, during the 2020-2021 school year, according to Capitol News Illinois. Chronic absenteeism increased during that school year, with 22.8% of all Illinois students missing 10% or more of all school days. The number of students who exhibited grade level competence in math and English language arts decreased, with 17.8% fewer students demonstrating proficiency in math and 16.6% fewer students demonstrating proficiency in English.
“We know from national studies from the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that school districts serving primarily Black and Hispanic students provided the least access to in-person learning last year,” Brenda Dixon ISBE’s research and evaluation officer said, according to Capitol News. “We suspect that less access to in-person learning contributed to lower engagement among Black and Hispanic students.”
School districts that offered more in-person learning saw smaller declines in enrollment than schools that used mostly remote learning, Illinois Policy reported.
In March, the ISBE announced a $17 million grant to establish a supplemental learning program for students impacted by learning loss due to school closures, according to the Dewitt Daily News. The program will be geared specifically towards low-income students.
