McLean County Times

Closing schools during the COVID-19 pandemic was a bad decision, said Illinois state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur).

"It was unnecessary, and we now see that," Caulkins told the McLean County Times. "In the beginning there was a lot of uncertainty and fear, but most every child wasn't going to have COVID. Closing schools has caused major problems we're now two years behind in development and it's gotten so much worse. I don't know what it will take to catch up. We have socialization issues, behavioral issues and kids that are so far  behind in their class work."

Many of Calulkins' constituents have told him they were not happy with the education their children received during the pandemic.

"Most are very concerned about these mandates and lowered teaching standards," the legislator said. "They're concerned that their kids are behind and now we have a major teaching shortage."

Future decisions on school closures shouldn't be made at the state level, Caulkins said.

"I always think at the local level," Caulkins said.  

The state board of education should always allow local school districts to make those kinds of decisions, Caulkins added. This isn't a one-size fits all type deal, every school district is different.

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 toward low-income students.