By Benjamin Cox on December 17, 2020 at 10:38am Jacksonville School District 117 Superintendent Steve Ptacek says that the district has been an elite role model in the State of Illinois this year. Ptacek outlined to the board of education last night the district’s achievement of being able to stay with in-person learning throughout the entire first semester. Ptacek says that the school year so far has gone beyond most people’s expectations both within and outside of the district. Ptacek continued the idea that the community and the district believed that closing schools would result in irreparable harm to students. Ptacek says that the district’s data collection on COVID-19 shows that the schools are not a source of community spread and are the safest places for students to remain. Ptacek thanked the community, the staff, the Jacksonville Schools Foundation, and the district’s nursing team managed by Cindy Weger for their tireless efforts for keeping schools open during the pandemic and providing support to students in various ways.