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SPRINGFIELD – The following statement can be attributed to IEA President Kathi Griffin: “The Illinois Education Association would like to congratulate one of the top public education advocates in the Illinois General Assembly, and the 2018 recipient of the IEA Friend of Education Award, on his election as Speaker of…

SPRINGFIELD – The following statement is attributable to IEA President Kathi Griffin: “As educators, we are tasked with the aftermath of what happened yesterday in Washington, D.C. – a day that brought out the darkest side of America. In our country, we hold tightly to our freedom. As we should,…

ILLINOIS – In a joint letter with the Chicago Teachers Union, the Illinois Education Association (IEA), the Illinois Principals Association, and the Illinois Association of School Administrators, the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) is calling on the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to postpone standardized testing via a U.S.…

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association (IEA) and the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) are calling on the state legislature to address the issues outlined below that would make Illinois schools safe for all. School district failure to implement and enforce the IDPH guidance and requirements for schools puts the…

SPRINGFIELD – Today, the Illinois Education Association (IEA), the largest education organization in Illinois, announced that a poll of its membership showed one-third are considering leaving the profession, amid an already existing teacher shortage, over concerns of safety and stress. “This should sound the alarm for every person in Illinois…

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association (IEA) called for the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to identify verified COVID-19 outbreaks in schools. The announcement comes after ProPublica Illinois revealed in a story published today that while Illinois public health officials have identified COVID-19 outbreaks in at least 44 school…

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced today a partnership with the Illinois Education Association (IEA) and the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) to pair new teachers with building mentors and virtual instructional coaches to help guide them through this most unique first year of teaching. The…

Joint Statement from the Illinois Education Association, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Association of School Administrators, and the Illinois Principals Association on Guidance to Illinois Schools Districts on Managing Teacher Evaluation SPRINGFIELD – Illinois school districts will be working through the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the foreseeable future.…

During his four terms as Illinois Governor, Jim Thompson acquired a deserved reputation as a builder. His legacy includes scores of crucial roads, bridges and buildings, in every part of the state, that were constructed or restored under his leadership. But nothing Jim Thompson built, no legislation he signed into…

SPRINGFIELD – Today, Gov. JB Pritzker held a news conference in Chicago in which he announced a proposal he will introduce to the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules to give local law enforcement and public health departments more options when trying to enforce mandates on face coverings and…

SPRINGFIELD – Today, the Illinois Education Association (IEA) and the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP) announced a medical review panel that will determine if school district re-opening plans are safe for students, staff and communities. The panel, which will consist of more than a dozen doctors,…

SPRINGFIELD – The following is a joint statement from Illinois Education Association President Kathi Griffin and Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery: “Together, the Illinois Education Association and Illinois Federation of Teachers represent 238,000 employees in public and private schools, colleges and universities in the state of Illinois and…

SPRINGFIELD – Today, the Illinois Education Association (IEA) President Kathi Griffin released the following statement encouraging school districts that are planning to have in-person instruction to do it safely by meeting these standards, or consider remote learning:  “The Illinois Education Association believes, as do health experts, that it would be…

Today, IFT President Dan Montgomery and Illinois Education Association President Kathi Griffin released a joint statement in response to ISBE’s 2020-21 school year transition plan SPRINGFIELD – The following is a joint statement attributable to Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) President Dan Montgomery and Illinois Education Association (IEA) President Kathi…

SPRINGFIELD – Please attribute the statement below to IEA President Kathi Griffin, in regard to the recent deaths of George Floyd while being taken into custody this week by Minneapolis police; Breonna Taylor, who was sleeping in bed in Louisville, Ky., when police burst in to serve a warrant on…

IEA Member Colleagues, I hope this message continues to find you and your loved ones in good health. I wrote to you last week to tell you about our three goals for last week’s legislative session: Protecting and maintaining state support for public education at all levels so our students…

IEA Member Colleagues, It is my hope that this message finds you and your loved ones in good health. All of you, education support professional staff who continue to provide lunches for the neediest of students; to the teachers working through the new world of remote learning; to our higher…

IEA honored those with an outstanding commitment to their schools, their students and to public education at this year’s IEA Representative Assembly. The IEA award recipients were nominated and chosen for their awards by their peers.