Only children 12 and over are currently eligible for COVID vaccines. The restraining order, which went into effect Friday afternoon, voidedemergency rules from the Illinois Board of Education requiring regular testing or proof of vaccination from school staff. DeVore filed the suit on behalf of a father of a student in Breese School District 12 in Clinton County, about 40 miles east of St. Louis. The case is a culmination of several others filed statewide by Attorney Tom DeVore. A ruling on the order blocking the mask mandate in some schools could come as soon as Thursday The Illinois Association of School Administrators on Friday said about 700 districts it has. . ""We remain committed to defending Gov. The appellate court's decision noted that the TRO "in no way restrains school districts from acting independently from the executive orders or the IDPH in creating provisions addressing COVID-19. The order was the result of. Pritzker on Monday encouraged those districts to continue, Ruling on Illinois School Mask Mandate Lawsuit NBC Chicago, Ruling on Illinois School Mask Mandate Lawsuit: What to Know So Far A downstate Illinois judge made a ruling late last week that effectively prohibits a statewide mask requirement in schools, sparking plenty of confusion from school districts across the state. J.B. Pritzker's mask mandate being found null and void by Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow Feb. 4. The state's second largest school district will have an exemption for a handful of students whose parents were part of the lawsuit, but that's it. Well over 100 school districts in Illinois were sued in the lawsuit. ", Abudayyeh said the governor "was encouraged that the court made it clear that school districts can continue to keep their own mitigations in place.". The IEMAA is largely silent on its applicability to school districts. McHenry County school districts named in the suit include Algonquin-based School District 300, Crystal Lake School District 47, Crystal Lake District 155, Cary School District 26, Huntley School District 158, McHenry School District 15 and Woodstock School District 200. Some exceptions to the order apply. Now that the judge has made her widely-anticipated ruling, what are the next steps? The high school parents challenging Illinois Gov. Illinois has about 850 districts. "Due to the multiple interpretations of the ruling and the status of the State mandates, there is a strong likelihood that there will be disruption in our schools which will have a substantial negative impact on the delivery of instruction and the health and safety of our students and staff," the district said in a letter to families. J.B. Pritzker's emergency rules for COVID-19 mitigations in schools "null and void," effectively stopping the state's mask mandate in school buildings. "Its far past time we restore the system of self-governance upon which this nation was founded. "This shows yet again that the mask mandate and school exclusion protocols are essential tools to keep schools open and everyone safe. "However, this is no longer a policy at this time.". Illinois is one of 13 states that require masks in schools in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Reading lips is really important for her.". When Judge Grischow announced her decision on 4:45 p.m. on Friday, her 29-page ruling didn't settle the questions about masking in school. CPS said in a statement last week that the court's ruling does not prohibit the school district from continuing its COVID-19 mitigation policies and procedures, including universal masking, and that the district "will stay the course.". "Their goal is to intimidate you," one parent said. Same goes for certain school staff who don't want to take weekly COVID-19 tests for not being vaccinated. Their argument, in a nutshell, is if a school is going to order masks or remove a kid from school for not following COVID-19 policies, the district needs to get parental consent or a court order. "Really, the sole purpose of the plan is to provide stability for our schools so we don't get caught in this flipping back and forth between legal cases because those are out of our control and we wanted to focus on what we could control," Cox said. DeVore claims it would take significant mental gymnastics to apply his powers under the IEMAA to local schools, and implored the court to intervene or risk a constitutional crisis. "Why are you continuing to enforce a mandate that is null and void?" Parents from Dunlap, two school districts in Metamora, Germantown Hills, Eureka, Brimfield, Mortonand Limestone in Bartonville are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Some are comfortable with the switch to a mask optional policy, while others are not. "We recognize the challenges this decision may have on our families, but given the fluidity of the situation we strongly feel that this time is necessary to effectively plan for any potential impact on our students, staff, and school community," said Dr. Kent Mutchler, superintendent. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, p Rockton School District says it's still subject to the Governor's mask mandate. Attorney General Raoul officially filed an appeal Monday morning. Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow issued the order, which went into effect Friday afternoon, after Rockridge and 144 other state school districts were named ina lawsuit by over 700 parents against the IL State Board of Education, the state's health director and Gov. She's been dedicated to the statehouse beat since interning at NPR Illinois in 2014, with subsequent stops at outlets including WILL-AM/FM, Law360, The Daily Line and a temporary stint at political blog Capitol Fax before returning to the station in 2020. (AS TO ALL PLAINTIFFS, IDPH AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS) 11. mopeyjoe 1 yr. ago. Leslie Renken can be reached at(309) 370-5087orlrenken@pjstar.com. JB Pritzker said the governor was "disappointed" with the decision and saidheplanned to appeal. The court meets in Springfield. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education last year, arguing there was no due process in Illinois statewide mask order. Follow heron Facebook.com/leslie.renken. Recently, the State provided 350,000 rapid tests to Chicago Public Schools to facilitate a return to in person learning.To increase access to the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccination, the State has held 1,767 on-site vaccination clinics in schools and day camps with an additional 470 clinics already scheduled. Chicago Public Schools and its 350,000 students will continue masking. ", Earlier:Mask mandate for Illinois schools rejected by state legislative oversight committee. Local The ruling announced Friday afternoon states defendants are temporarily restrained from, Read the Full Text: Judge's Ruling Halts Illinois School Mask , Read the Full Text: Judges Ruling Halts Illinois School Mask Mandate Published February 5, 2022 Updated on February 5, 2022 at 6:54 pm NBC Universal, Inc. A downstate Illinois judge issued a ruling declaring Gov. However, the district explained there are students who have exceptions as they are included in the lawsuit in which the TRO was issued. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. A judge in downstate Sangamon County granted a temporary restraining order Friday effectively prohibiting mask requirements for students in numerous school districts across the state. J.B. Pritzker. Pritzker. The rules stemmed from a Sep. 17 executive orderfromPritzker outlining the now-voided requirements. Some 60% of new colorectal cancers in . She said her kids will continue wearing their masks. The outcome of the lawsuit will impact school districts across the state, including in Central Illinois. "We're seeing it in so many places, tens of thousands of schools across the country, have been mask optional all year long.". Context: The protest unfolds as a Sangamon County circuit court judge prepares to rule on a lawsuit against 146 Illinois school districts mostly downstate but including CPS that challenges the mandate. Lawsuit seeks to block mask mandates, exclusion rules . COVID vaccine: Hundreds of Peoria teachers, staff haven't taken COVID vaccine, district says. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education last year, arguing there was no due process in Illinois' statewide mask order. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. But the state's top court . -Schaumburg District 54: Masks not require, - St. Charles CUSD 303: Masks suggested but not required, -Orland School District 135: Masks not required, -Wheaton School District 200: Masks recommended but not required, -Plainfield District 202: Masks recommended but not required, -Lisle District 202- Continuing mask mandate, will make final decision after survey of parents, -Algonquin District 300- Open Tuesday, continuing mask mandate, The Archdiocese of Chicago sent a letter to parents and students Saturday that said they are "closely monitoring the case.". ", According to these parents, Pritzker has continuously issued, "one-man edicts, mandates, orders, and one size fits all guidance," throughout the pandemic. A downstate Illinois judge made a ruling late last week that effectively prohibits a statewide mask requirement in schools, sparking plenty of confusion from school districts across the state. A few days later, however, District 12 in Breese a pre-K through 8th grade district announced it was going mask-optional for the upcoming school year. "What that says right thereis what I've been saying for months, that (Pritzker's) executive orders are just fearmongering," DeVore said. The TRO granted by 7th Judicial Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow in Sangamon County court covered separate lawsuits, but it did declare the emergency rules implemented by IDPH and the Illinois State Board of Education on Sept. 17 regarding mask mandates for students and teachers "void" and that school districtsmay "govern themselves accordingly.". It was a regular school day inside. But on July 27, the CDC reversed its guidance, recommending masking in schools, even for for fully vaccinated people, as the Delta variant rises and new studies were published about the possibility of rare breakthrough infections due to the strain's mutation. ", Governor JB Pritzker spoke about the ruling Monday morning at a press conference on preventing expressway shootings. Pritzker announced on Feb. 9 a plan to rollback indoor mask requirements by the end of the month. J.B. Pritzker's statewide mask mandate. "We now have vaccinations," said Robert Frost Junior High parent Brian Watson. Meanwhile, Chicago Public Schools said it will continue to require masks, as will U-46 in Elgin. Illinois school districts will be deciding whether or not to make masks optional after a judge ruled against the state's mandate. With nearly 1,300 students, Timothy Christian is the largest Christian school in Illinois. DeVore was in the process of writing a temporary restraining order in the latest lawsuit Thursday afternoon. 20. The Illinois Association of School Administrators on Friday said about 700 districts it has reached so far have a mask optional policy or will transition to one soon. CCDPH Mitigation Order 2021-10 was issued on August 23, 2021 and requires individuals age 2 and older to wear masks in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status. READ: Judge Raylene Grischow's full ruling here. One of the cases DeVore is representing parents in actually sparked this newest lawsuit and the largest complaint filed yet. Abbott prohibits mask mandates by local governments including school districts. The ruling announced Friday afternoon states defendants are temporarily restrained from ordering school districts to require masks for students and teachers - unless a quarantine order is issued by a local health department. School districts and private businesses can continue to require masks at their discretion. Early in July, the Centers for Disease Control released guidance for schools, which only recommended masks for unvaccinated individuals. The lawsuit begins with laying out current COVID-19 statistics in Illinois, including a calculation that the survival rate for children and young adults up to age 20 who contract the virus is 99.9973%, citing 20 COVID deaths in that cohort in Illinois since the pandemic began. It also voids rules from theIllinois Department of Public Health outlining a schools obligation to exclude students from school who have confirmed cases of COVID-19 or are a close contact to someone with COVID-19. According to the ruling, collectively-bargained agreements remain enforceable, like the one between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union. But Joliet Public Schools District 86 told parents on Sunday it will continue to require masks in all of its buildings since the district was not named in the lawsuit challenging the mask mandate that resulted in the restraining order. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is seeking an appeal of a judge's ruling temporarily blocking the state from enforcing a mask mandate at dozens of school districts. We believe what the judge ordered today is legally faulty and a threat to public health and, most importantly, a threat to keeping Illinois schools open for in-person learning. Arlington Heights School District 25 distributed a letter to parents saying it will be in a "mask recommended environment" - at least during the Temporary Restraining Order period. It is not the children you care about.". The grave consequence of this misguided decision is that schools in these districts no longer have sufficient tools to keep students and staff safe while COVID-19 continues to threaten our communities and this may force schools to go remote, Pritzker said. A judge's recent ruling that Gov. We believe we can achieve this," said Matt Davidson, superintendent for Timothy Christian Schools. They were separated out and did e-learning activities. The school district appealed, and the Fifth District Appellate Court said the restraining order had to be vacated because the lawsuit didnt name Governor J.B. Pritzer, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health as defendants, in addition to the school district. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Effective September 23, 2022, in alignment with the California Department of Public Healths (CDPH) announcement. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Gov. Pritzker said the mandate would protect unvaccinated children and adults, as well as the elderly and others with reduced immune systems who are more likely to develop breakthrough infections of COVID-19 even after they get vaccinations. NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. Masks optional but encouraged. Cox said he didn't seeany problems in schools after the TRO basically made mask wearing unenforceable. The lawsuit was filed in downstate Macoupin County on Oct. 20, by attorneys Tom Devore, Jeffrey Mollet and Erik D. Hyam, of the Silver Lake Group, of Greenville. The judge argued those state offices would all be affected by the outcome of the case. "We have heard from all sides throughout the pandemic about their feelings regarding masking and the quarantine.". Gov. . Oxford Community Schools and its staff are shielded from such civil litigation by state law under the doctrine of governmental immunity, Oakland County . . That bill, HB 2789, passed the Illinois House on party lines in April, but never received a vote on the Senate floor this spring before the legislature adjourned. J.B. Pritzker's move came hours after the Illinois Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal of a decision in a lawsuit challenging Pritzker's mask mandate. ", "We feel our original masking policy would have been appropriate as it allowed everyone to make their own decisions," Schmale wrote. The class action lawsuit against 140 school districts. J.B. Pritzker's administration are asking a state appellate court to set aside a lower court order from late Friday that invalidated the mask The bicameral committee, made up of lawmakers from both parties, rejected the rule unanimously. Some Illinois parents are urging their kids to go to school without a mask today to protest Gov. It prohibited schools from requiring the plaintiffs kids to wear a mask unless there was consent or a court order. Hundreds of Peoria teachers, staff haven't taken COVID vaccine, district says, A Peoria teacher quits and the video goes viral, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Location may have been the reasoning, DeVore added, but he said he cant remember who suggested Macoupin County. A hearing before Seventh Circuit Judge April Troemper is set for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 5 in Carlinville. I know there was a lot of discussion going on outside of the school walls. "This type of evil is exactly what the law was intended to constrain., The state of Illinois plans to appeal the decision, Pritzker said late Friday, calling the judge's decision "misguided. Others, however, are waiting for clarification before proceeding. Prior to the ruling,NBC 5 talked to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, about the state of COVID-19 in Illinois. ranted one parent. J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the . A spokesperson for Pritzkers office could not be reached for comment Monday evening. So what does it mean, how are schools responding and whats next? In the metro-east, Red Bud CUSD 132 in. The day will be made up on May 31. "It's time for kids out of masks. (The Center Square) - The case with more than 700 parents suing more than 140 school districts over mask and exclusion policies implemented on school children continues. Between vitriol, tears and begging for mask choice, just a few parents and a teacher stepped up to back the board's decision to keep masks mandatory for now. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The ruling comes in light of a legislative committee Tuesdaynot renewing the mask mandate requested by the Illinois Department of Public Health. "There is no rhyme or reason to have it, if people can have masks optional, that is the best decision for everyone," said Natalie Merchant, anti-mask parent. The lawsuit questionsthe mask mandate and a schools ability to exclude students and deny in-person learning without a lawful order of quarantine from alocal health department. Governor Pritzker said the judge's ruling, "cultivates chaos" and that, "poor legal reasoning should not take one of our most effective tools off the table so again, I have asked the attorney general to continue to aggressively appeal this decision.".

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