Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday signed into law a measure that gives fully vaccinated teachers and other school employees COVID-19 related paid time off — while also returning to them sick days the pandemic forced them to use.
The Democratic governor signed the legislation at the Illinois State Capitol, alongside the leaders of teachers’ unions, school employees and Democratic sponsors. Pritzker vetoed a similar version of the bill shortly after a January standoff between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools.
But the revised version adds in the vaccinated provision as another way to incentivize teachers and school employees to get immunized against the virus.
According to the CTU, educators must be fully vaccinated within five weeks from Tuesday’s date to receive the benefit. “Fully vaccinated” means either one or two rounds of a vaccine, depending on the shot received, plus a booster, the union said in an email sent to members after the signing.
“It ensures that if a teacher has done their part to keep their classrooms safe for their most vulnerable students, they won’t have to worry for a second about their pay or their paid time off if they get COVID, or if they’re required to isolate, or if the school has moved to e-learning and their work can’t be done at home,” Pritzker said at the signing.
“Most importantly, this legislation recognizes that our teachers are so much more than their profession. They are members of our communities, and in many cases, they are parents.”
The paid administrative leave also applies to employees who have children who are required to stay home from school for COVID-19-related reasons, and it provides wage protections for all hourly school employees such as janitors or bus drivers who must miss school during a school closure or e-learning day.
Angela Bolger, a paraprofessional at Central Elementary School in downstate O’Fallon, said she had to miss eight days of teaching for COVID-related reasons, including when she contracted COVID in January herself and to stay home when her 7-year-old daughter was exposed to the virus at school.
“I am allotted 11 sick days. Without this legislation, any additional days missed because of COVID would also mean a cut in pay because I have no more earned sick days,” Bolger said shortly before Pritzker signed the bill.
“Because of this new law, when I have to miss school to keep students safe and prevent the spread of COVID I don’t also have to worry about how I will pay my bills or if I need to think about finding a different job.”
