Fully vaccinated teachers and school staff are guaranteed pandemic-related paid leave under a bill Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law Tuesday.
The legislation retroactively returns to teachers sick days they used this school year because of the pandemic. Paid leave extends to employees needing to care for family members or loved ones stricken with the coronavirus.
“We’re not only taking actions that recognize the important work that teachers and school support staff do,” Pritzker said, adding, “we’re also sending a message to future educators that this is a profession in Illinois that you should choose.”
Pritzker vetoed a previous version of the bill that would have protected COVID-19-related leave for all teachers, regardless of vaccination status. The governor argued only vaccinated teachers should receive the benefits.
The bill passed both chambers of the General Assembly last month, with votes largely along party lines. The previous version of the measure, which would have guaranteed pandemic-related leave for teachers regardless of vaccination status, passed in October with strong bipartisan support.
Dan Montgomery, a high school English teacher in Skokie and president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, applauded the measure’s concern for employees’ personal lives while prioritizing the work they do.
“Our North Star has been, ’How do we keep people safe?’ ” Montgomery said before the bill’s signing. “How do we keep schools open and in-person safely, and how do we care for the children and their families in our charge?
“This bill is a sign that when you have good public servants of goodwill, who devote themselves to trying to figure out what’s the right thing to do, we can all work together and get it done,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery said in a statement the “overwhelming majority” of teacher union members, and his organization continue to “encourage” all eligible employees to get vaccinated and boosted.
Not only have teachers spent the past two years concerned about the health and safety of their students, Pritzker said, but they often have children and other family members to worry about.
“Perhaps more than any other profession, educators have borne this burden,” Pritzker said. “We’re extending employee paid leave to cover their children’s needs, too, ensuring that if an employee’s child gets sick or has to isolate and quarantine, they have one less thing to worry about.”
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