A new law gives Illinois school employees paid leave for COVID-related reasons and restores sick days used during the 2021-2022 school year. However, there are some questions about who is covered under the new law.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law last month a measure that grants fully vaccinated school staff paid administrative leave if they have to take time off for COVID-related reasons. The law also restores COVID-related sick days to employees who had to use them in the 2021-2022 school year. School staff must be fully vaccinated by May 10 to be eligible for the benefits.

The law “ensures that if a teacher has done their part to keep their classroom 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, 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 when he signed the bill.

Here are seven things that educators and school employees need to know about the new law:

What’s the purpose of the law?

The law restores sick days to school staff who had to take time off due to COVID-related reasons during the 2021-2022 school year and provides paid leave in the future.

Under the Illinois school code, teachers receive a minimum of 10 sick days per year — in line with national averages, according to the National Center for Teacher Quality. While the vast majority of districts allow teachers to carry over unused sick...

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