SPRINGFIELD (WSIL) -- The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) says face shields should not be used in place of face masks when school resumes this fall.
In a statement posted to its Tuesday, the board said it had been discussing the use of shields in lieu of masks with educators and other "stakeholders," but that state health officials recommend face coverings and social distancing instead.
"Since that time, the Illinois Department of Public health (IDPH) has communicated that face coverings and social distancing are the goal whenever and wherever possible. Face shields have not been deemed effective for source control and are only to be used when other methods of protection are not available or appropriate," reads the statement.
ISBE said face shields could be appropriate in some situations, such as world languages, if video instruction isn't possible.
"Examples of limited situations when face shields may be necessary, if video instruction is not possible, include for teachers of English Learners or world languages, whose students may need to see their mouths form words to facilitate language acquisition."
Students or teachers with certain medical conditions may also use face shields when needed.
