Illinois teachers unions are celebrating a legislative victory this week after a proposal to grant school employees administrative leave for COVID-19-related sick days for themselves and their children was passed by lawmakers in Springfield.

       The School Employee Benefit and Wage Protection bill, now headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk, was championed by the state’s teachers unions, who said school employees with young families were being forced to use all of their sick days if they or their children contracted the virus or were required to quarantine.

       Illinois Education Association President Kathi Griffin said union members made more than 1,500 phone calls to lawmakers in the past few days in support of the bill.

       “Many students are too young to be vaccinated, which makes quarantining even more important for our students’ safety,” Griffin said in a statement.

       “And in cases of teachers who are in the beginning of their careers, we are seeing them run out of their accrued sick leave and instead of losing their income, they choose to go to work sick or leave the profession to find another job, Griffin said.

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       Some critics of the proposal say if it becomes law, the legislation is certain to disrupt in-person learning by magnifying an already steep shortage of school employees and substitutes.

       Pritzker, who could choose to veto the bill, expressed reservations about the legislation through a statement from a spokesperson Friday.

       “This legislation raises some serious concerns, including its cost, its potential to destabilize classrooms and discourage vaccinations,” the statement said.

       Despite Pritzker’s concerns, a veto of the bill could be unlikely, as the proposal received strong support from both sides of the aisle, passing the Illinois House 92 to 23 and the Illinois Senate 53 to 1.

       If the bill is signed into law, it will require school districts to provide COVID-19 administrative days to any public school or college employee to be used for all COVID-19-related absences, such as quarantining and testing, IEA officials said. The legislation does not specify a cap on the amount of leave that could be used for this purpose.

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       In addition, the bill provides paycheck protection for hourly employees, meaning hourly employees would still receive their full paycheck if a school or higher education institution has to close because of a COVID-19 emergency, IEA officials said.

       The Large Unit District Association and ED-RED, a suburban organization representing dozens of elementary and high school districts, opposed the bill in testimony to the Senate education committee earlier this week, saying “establishing unlimited administrative leave days for all school employees will likely exacerbate an already critical staff shortage.”

       Foes of the bill say they are also concerned any sick leave used by a teacher or employee during the 2021-22 school year as a result of COVID-19 would be required to be returned to the employee.

       Above all, critics say they are alarmed the bill applies the same leave policy to vaccinated and unvaccinated staff, which could remove an incentive for educators to get vaccinated.

       “Our districts have reported higher percentages of quarantines among unvaccinated staff,” officials with the Large Unit District Association and ED-RED said.

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       Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery said in a statement it is critical for school districts to provide “paid time off for teachers and staff who must quarantine when they or their children are sick with COVID or have been exposed to COVID.”

       “It also ensures that non-instructional staff do not suffer loss of pay if they are unable to work remotely when their school is closed or switches to e-learning,” Montgomery said.

       “At the same time, it promotes economic recovery and ensures that schools are safe for those who learn and work in them,” he said.

       kcullotta@chicagotribune.com

       Twitter @kcullotta

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