Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health have issued a number of orders and emergency rule changes (see below) that impact private schools. Since a homeschool is classified as a private school in Illinois, does it mean your homeschool must be shut down, or that your kids must wear masks at home?
For a typical Illinois homeschool operation—meaning parents teaching their own children in their own residence—no. You are not impacted. The people commonly present and the way the building is usually used indicate that its primary nature and identity is as a family home.
On the other hand, the homeschool movement has sparked a great deal of innovation and creativity. As a byproduct of this tremendous inventiveness, there are many ways small Illinois private schools and school-type programs operate other than what I have described as a “typical Illinois homeschool operation.”
If you are involved in a private school program that is not what I refer to as a “typical,” you should not assume that what I have said here applies to you. Instead, you should seek out legal help so a lawyer can analyze your unique situation and give you individualized advice.
Emergency Rule Changes
(This may a may not be a complete list.)