The Senate Education Committee held its third hearing addressing COVID-19 support in schools today on Wednesday.
The Senate Education Committee held a virtual meeting Wednesday to discuss making sure schools have the proper funding and resources to guarantee students can be successful during this pandemic.
Members want to make sure Federal CARES act funding was appropriately used in every district throughout the state.
Most of the funding went to closing the digital divide by providing devices and connectivity.
Student advocacy organization Advance Illinois President Robin Stearns says the pandemic took its toll on learning loss.
“Engagement has dropped as reported by teacher significantly, nearly one quarter of students were not engaging in remote learning at all, they were not seen they were lost during that period students spent less time learning on average.”
Stearns recommends to recover from the loss of in-person instruction the state needs to fully fund evidence based funding and adding more time to the school day to make up for lost time.