Illinois school districts should begin preparing for the possibility of using E-Learning practices this coming fall, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said on Sunday.

During Sunday’s daily coronavirus press briefing, Pritzker said he was unclear whether Illinois students and teachers would use E-Learning or be physically present in classrooms next school year.

“I would prepare for both because it is so unclear,” Pritzker said. “Without knowing the answer, E-Learning is an important thing for us to develop.”

In March, Pritzker ordered all Illinois schools to close amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus and earlier in April, he announced those doors would stay shut for the remainder of the academic year.

Pritzker said since the crisis began to take root in Illinois, he’s seen room for improvement in schools when it comes to E-Learning and recommended districts tap into available state funds to help build those programs.

“What we've learned in that short period of time is that many schools are not ready for E-learning, but should be,” Pritzker said. “The state actually has funds available to help school districts to work with school districts to help spin up E-Learning.”

As the coronavirus pandemic continues forcing more widespread use of virtual platforms across the board, Pritzker concluded by suggesting the E-Learning methods may be more widely used even after the crisis.

“I would encourage administrations and teachers to work very hard on making sure that's available," he said. "Just in case and also because I think that in the future, we'll be using E-Learning more and more, even in the absence of a pandemic along with in-person learning.”