South Central Reporter

"Over the top" is how State Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pamona) describes the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our response to the pandemic was over the top and very frustrating for students and parents," the legislator said. "There is no denying that the missed class time was detrimental. The response to the pandemic was too politicized. It was difficult for parents and students to separate fact from fiction.  We need to take the politics out of public health issues, and we need to make sure we are acting in the best interests of our students when it comes to the policies we are implementing at our schools."

Most parents Jacobs has talked to agree, he said.

"Overwhelmingly the parents I have talked to want their kids to be in school," he said. "They see the problems at home learning created and in their minds those problems far outweigh the risks of the virus."

Local school districts, not the state, should decide whether schools will be open or closed, he added.

"I support local control," he said. "These decisions must be made at the local level."

A Unicef report from Oct. 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 and poor physical activity and sleeping habits.  

Total 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. “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,” said Brenda Dixon, ISBE’s research and evaluation officer. “We suspect that less access to in-person learning contributed to lower engagement among Black and Hispanic students.” 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. 

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 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced a $17 million grant to establish a supplemental learning program for students impacted by learning loss due to school closures, according to a release. The program will be geared specifically towards low-income students.