Kane County Reporter

It has been a year since the pandemic cause nationwide shutdowns, and Illinois state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) said it is time that kids go back to school five days a week.

Ugaste posted on Facebook in March a photo of him and his daughter attending a rally of parents and supports who believe it's well past time for students to rejoin the classroom. More support for young children going back to school has come since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention March 19 that students can maintain a distance of 3 feet instead of 6 feet as long as they wear masks.

"It's been one year since many students attended their last full week of in-person classes," the Republican lawmaker said on Facebook. "Last weekend I attended a rally with my daughter Tonia, who has been spearheading the drive to get kids back to school 5 days a week. I couldn't be more proud. Let's get our students back in school!"  

As Illinois continues to increase the number of people vaccinated and COVID-19 hospitalizations have seen a decline in recent weeks, it is still unclear when schools will fully reopen. Experts say this continuation of not opening schools is causing more harm for students than good.

"There was an enormous amount of mental health strain, trauma, the number of students who are now reporting mental health, serious mental health issues, is well over 50%," Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois, an independent policy and advocacy organization, said. "So did our families and did our students have access to those mental health supports and those mental health services?"

Associate Director of Strategic Engagement at the University of Chicago Crime and Education Labs Dar'tavous Dorsey said that students and families need help from the community to provide support to help those suffering from schools still being shut down.

"We need more community engagement and empowering and mentoring programs alongside with increasing funding and supporting not only cities and schools, but also directly supporting students and families," Dorsey said. "You know direct support can lift individuals out of poverty, and it can prove outcome including education, and so I can see, you know, in the time being if the state and federal government should also do a restructuring of funding to provide more equitable support for historically under-resourced schools and communities."

Schools in Chicago have set Monday, April 19, to reopen fully, but it is not the first time city schools have planned to open. At the beginning of the year, teachers refused to instruct in the classroom until deals between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union could be struck.