A year later, schools still grappling with remote learning FacebookTwitterEmail Jacksonville School District 117 Superintendent Steve Ptacek gives a presentation in August on changes to the Illinois Department of Health’s guidelines and how those changes would allow a return to in-person learning. Journal-Courier More than a year after the pandemic shuttered Illinois schools, the vast majority of students have yet to return completely to the classroom — and more than 73,000 still are learning entirely remotely. In the 154 schools across west-central Illinois, 19,644 of the 51,967 students had returned to in-person learning by the end of April, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Nearly 165% as many — 32,323 students — in the region were being educated through a blended system, which includes both in-person and remote learning.