Schools without mask mandates face penalties from the state education board. 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. Illinois has about 850 districts. "This decision sends the message that all students do not have the same right to safely access schools and classrooms in Illinois, particularly if they have disabilities or other health concerns. Our children and their families need certainty and some normalcy at school, not legal wrangling managed by a small minority of citizens.We urge the judge to stay her ruling and the state to appeal it as soon as possible. legislative committee Tuesdaynot renewing the mask mandate, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (WLS) -- An Illinois judge's ruling has forced many schools Monday to decide whether to continue with a mask mandate or to make them optional, and emotions across the state are running high. That happened in Bond County. Last Friday, the judge in Sangamon County ruled against Governor JB Pritzker's mask mandate inside school buildings, in response to lawsuits involving parents and teachers from more than 150 districts. "They read the result of JCAR's action as the end of those emergency rules," Craven said, "and if they are no more, the court doesn't need to decide if they were valid or not.". "Based on the wording of the temporary restraining order we believe we still have the authority to enforce mask wearing as part of our local mitigation efforts, and again, the local bargaining agreements that we have that compel us to provide a safe environment for our employees to work," U-46 Superintendent Tony Sanders said. The outcome of the lawsuit will impact school districts across the state, including in Central Illinois. Parents have stormed school board . The latest lawsuit was filed in Macoupin County. That happened in Bond County. It also says its unlawful to require masks as a type of treatment without parental consent or a quarantine order from the courts. 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. The local school districts named in the parents' lawsuit include Springfield Public School District 186 and Ball-Chatham School District 5 along with Carrollton, Mount Pulaski, Petersburg. The lawsuit was filed by Greenville attorney Thomas DeVore, who has filed a number of lawsuits around the state related to the governor's executive orders issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. JB Pritzker announced that the statewide mask mandate that requires face coverings in public indoor settings will be lifted Monday, Feb. 28. MASK AND EXCLUSION POLICIES. As we have from the beginning of the pandemic, the administration will keep working to ensure every Illinoisan has the tools needed to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. Mask optional on Tuesday. 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. 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 Some districts are put in a different situation due to collective bargaining agreements. 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. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Community Consolidated School District 181, which has schools in Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale, and Burr Ridge, said Monday will be an emergency remote instruction day. For children in primary schools, health advice is that under 11s are exempt from wearing face coverings in national guidance ? 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.". Don Craven, a Springfield attorney and president of the Illinois Press Association, said he understood why the appellate court reached its decision. Effective September 23, 2022, in alignment with the California Department of Public Healths (CDPH) announcement. 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. One can only presume Pritzker is dissatisfied the legislature chose not to empower IDPH and ISBE with this authority, so he took it upon himself to pilfer the power of the legislature and for all intents and purposes made HB 2789 a law on his own, the suit said. The Score | Week 9 high school basketball games, stats and scores from the Quad Cities, Thousands pack Wharton Field House to watch Moline punch their ticket to the Elite Eight. When it comes to relaxing mitigations in schools, Fauci said, "We're not there yet. 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. "It's not that big of a deal in my opinion. DeVore was in the process of writing a temporary restraining order in the latest lawsuit Thursday afternoon. The Fourth District Appellate Court ruled early Friday that Illinois' indoor mask requirement in schools has expired and the appeal made by the Illinois attorney general against a temporary. Some school districts kept their mask rules in place, while others made them optional. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, p One of the cases DeVore is representing parents in actually sparked this newest lawsuit and the largest complaint filed yet. There are exceptions. Craven said schools are different because most younger students are unvaccinated or can't be vaccinated age-wise and movement is different in schools versus workplaces. "I think they should follow health recommendations, which right now say kids should be in a mask<' said Reid McCollum, pro-mask parent. All this is prompted by Gov. J.B.. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education last year, arguing there was no due process in Illinois' statewide mask order. The word school is only mentioned five times, but in conjunction with the states earthquake awareness program, as well as grants for safety and security improvements. The law constantly refers to coordination with smaller units of local government like municipalities and counties, but the definition of political subdivision within the statute doesnt include school districts. By. Some Rockford-area have decided to keep their existing mask rules in place, while others are modifying or lifting them for the time being. JB. 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. The Illinois Supreme Court granted Gov. Parents lash out at Naperville school board meeting after district decides to keep requiring masks. In St. Charles, district officials have also decided to cancel classes and use an emergency day Monday. It was denied Class Action status. That wouldn't affect schools or congregate settings like hospitals and long-term care facilities. The class action lawsuit against 140 school districts around Illinois was filed Wednesday at the Macoupin County courthouse in Carlinville. Pritzker's actions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and will appeal this decision in the Illinois Appellate Court for the 4th District in Springfield," said Attorney General Kwame Raoul. Full Statement from Illinois Federation of Teachers. Several surrounding school districts, including Schaumburg, Elmhurst, Arlington Heights, Barrington and Wheaton, have chosen to make masks optional. . MORE: Students walk out over COVID-19 in-person learning . In a letter attached as an exhibit to the lawsuit, District 12 Superintendent Travis Schmale wrote to parents last week, empathizing with frustration borne of "constant changes. MACOUPIN CO., Ill. (WCIA) A long list of parents filed a lawsuit against 145 school districts in Illinois Wednesday. Parents from Dunlap, two school districts in Metamora, Germantown Hills, Eureka, Brimfield, Mortonand Limestone in Bartonville are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. As one of the districts named in the lawsuit that resulted in the temporary restraining order, administrators said removing the mask mandate for their schools was a legal decision. The administration is working with (Attorney General Kwame Raoul)to request an expedited review of this decision from the (Illinois) Supreme Court. "We have heard from all sides throughout the pandemic about their feelings regarding masking and the quarantine.". Others think it is time to lift the mandate. A new bill in the Illinois House aims to stop schools from working with police to issue students tickets for minor misbehavior, a harmful and sometimes costly . [Ruling on Illinois school mask mandate throws districts into chaos]There has been confusion about school mask and quarantine requirements since Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow issued the temporary restraining order Friday because several hundred Illinois school districts were not named in the litigation. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. (AS TO ALL PLAINTIFFS, IDPH AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS) 11. mopeyjoe 1 yr. ago. -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.". "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. Parents came armed with no mask signs, American flags and their children to protest mask mandates as school district employees looked down at them from their offices. MACOUPIN CO., Ill. (WCIA)- A long list of parents filed a lawsuit against 145 school districts in Illinois Wednesday. 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. Justices Thomas Harris and Lisa Holder White concurred in most parts. But a just-filed lawsuit could void that statewide executive order. In allowing the TRO to remain in place against more than 140 school districts, the court said in a 24-page ruling, school district officials can decide how to address indoor masking requirements. Some 60% of new colorectal cancers in . "However, this is no longer a policy at this time.". COVID vaccine: Hundreds of Peoria teachers, staff haven't taken COVID vaccine, district says. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Derik Holtmann dholtmann@bnd.com. See also: Assistant school superintendent from Indiana lands top position with Ball-Chatham district. "Statutory rights have attempted to be bypassed through the issuance of executive orders and emergency rules," she stated in the 29-page order. We insist that school districts statewide abide by existing agreements on health and safety. ", More:Illinois mask mandate for most indoor settings will be lifted by the end of the month. Parents from Dunlap, two school districts in Metamora, Germantown Hills, Eureka, Brimfield, Mortonand Limestone in Bartonville are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.The 11-county complaint names 140 school districts, Gov. Pritzker's administration quickly adopted the new guidelines. Biden surveys Ida cleanup in, Newsfeed Now: UPS driver spreads joy with TikTok, Newsfeed Now: Hurricane Ida death toll rises after, Newsfeed Now: Supreme Court allows Texas abortion, Newsfeed Now: Pres. The state's two. Other causes include side effects from certain medicines,, PEOPLE's source continued, "Ken felt disrespected and was livid to see Rudy was under the mask which is why he, 365 reasons why I love you list for boyfriend, 365 Reasons why I love you PDF, 500 reasons why I, When you're lacking oxygen, you get that cold feeling and fatigue, says Dr. Morgan. Jeff Schuler, Community Unit School District 200. Illinois schools were scrambling to react after a ruling by a downstate judge Friday placed a temporary restraining order on Gov. All rights reserved, Indiana State Trooper Struck and Killed by Suspect During Police Chase, Chicago FOP Lodge Reelects John Catanzara as President. Some Illinois parents are urging their kids to go to school without a mask today to protest Gov. "I chose to head to the auditorium without my mask on and really didn't want to go home, I felt it was our right to stay here without our masks per the ruling on a Friday," said senior Sydney Pjesky. 2 in September. The appellate court affirmatively stated that the language of the TRO in no way restrains school districts from acting independently from the executive orders or the IDPH in creating provisions addressing COVID-19.". Geneva Community United School District 304 said it will cancel classes Monday, explaining implementing an emergency day is in its best interest. The State has completed over 2 million COVID-19 tests in schools through the SHIELD program and sent more than a million rapid tests into schools outside of the City of Chicago. The three-judge panel wrotethat the expiration of the emergency rules renderedtheappeal "moot.". It prioritizes a relatively small group of plaintiffs who refuse to follow widely-accepted science over the rights of other students, faculty and staff to enter schools without the fear of contracting a virus that has claimed the lives of more than 31,000 Illinois residents - or taking that virus home to their loved ones. Because it will never be perfect.". Illinois mask mandate will lift for residents Feb. 28, but students will have to continue wearing masks at schools. This comes as school districts scrambled to reassess COVID mitigations after a judge granted a temporary injunction last week. After a downstate judge ruled against Pritzker's school mask mandate, suburban parents lashed out at school boards who chose to continue to require masks in schools. This time, parents sued the school districts, IDPH, ISBE and Gov. Abbott prohibits mask mandates by local governments including school districts. 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. "Our primary goal is to educate our kids and do that in a safe environment and that's something we've been doing, and we take very seriously.". Since the TRO was issued, most local and area school districts, including Springfield District 186, Ball-Chatham and Rochester, have "encouraged" or recommended wearing of masks. ", Earlier:Mask mandate for Illinois schools rejected by state legislative oversight committee. It is composed of seven judges and encompasses 31 counties across a band of the state. "Why are you continuing to enforce a mandate that is null and void?" Illinois, which has among the highest tax burdens in the nation, could be pricing people out. pencils, books and now a new addition to the back-to-school shopping list: a mask. 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. "There are factual bases for the distinction," Craven said. "My opinion, I think they should still be wearing the masks," Rojek said. . "We're seeing it in so many places, tens of thousands of schools across the country, have been mask optional all year long.". ""We remain committed to defending Gov. Vaccinations, boosters, mask-wearing and testing are the key to keeping schools open and to maintaining safety standards for staff and students alike. 2023 www.sj-r.com. A bright spot in the decision clarifies for which parties the TRO applies. Masks must be worn in Illinois schools when students and staff return to the classroom in the coming weeks. At least one Illinois school district has canceled classes for Monday and many others have decided to recommend masks. Meanwhile, Chicago Public Schools said it will continue to require masks, as will U-46 in Elgin. Please read an important update from Superintendent Sanders on our COVID mitigation strategies, including masks here https://t.co/jQBvX09xKh. "We have wide spaces (and) large classrooms. 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. 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, he said. JB Pritzkers mandate requiring all students, faculty and staff at Illinois schools wear masks in the face of the coronavirus more contagious Delta variant spreading across the state. What the ruling does. Part of the parents lawsuit argues that only local health departments have the authority to issue mask and quarantine orders under state statute. . "Their goal is to intimidate you," one parent said. J.B. Pritzker's statewide mask mandate. "More than 700 Illinois parents brought legal action on behalf of their children, carrying out their parental duty to protect their children, and, indeed, all children of this State, from further transgressions by the executive branch of government," part of the statement read. "I'm upset," Limjuco said. "Naperville made a decision per the guidance of health departments, to continue the requirement of masking in schools, buses, after school activities, with the exception of the named parties in the lawsuit," said Superintendent Dan Bridges. While some districts continue to isolate students from class for not wearing masks, other schools across the state went mask optional this last week. "We're really excited for that," said father of three Michael Lafido. Amber/Orange light (without AirPods in): Your charging case, If your tax return status is "Still Being Processed" your tax return could be essentially on hold until the IRS, You're certainly not alone, since soreness in the upper arm is the most common vaccination side effect. They added he's done this without any public discourse and the parents claim the people's rights rights under due process under the law were, "shredded at every turn.". Pritzker said students and staff would no longer be required to wear masks at Illinois schools starting Feb. 28 after the Illinois Supreme Court declined to take up the case. 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. Lake County school districts named in the, Amber/Orange light (with AirPods in): Your AirPods are charging inside the case. "They're hollow policies and without any lawful rule and some mechanism, you can't do anything with them. A Michigan judge on Friday dismissed a school district and its employees as defendants in two wrongful death lawsuits stemming from a deadly 2021 mass shooting by a 15-year-old student armed with a gun his parents had bought him for Christmas. To learn more about ChatGPT and how we can inspire students, we sat down with BestReviews book expert, Ciera Pasturel. 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 in a statement. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education last year, arguing there was no due process in Illinois statewide mask order. Unlike most of the suits filed by DeVore and others in the last 18 months, Mondays lawsuit does not challenge Pritzkers ability to issue continuous disaster declarations beyond the 30-day period provided for in the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, or IEMAA. Those who are exempt dont have to wear masks. 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.". (CNN/WSIL) -- A group of parents in Illinois have filed a lawsuit against nearly 150 school districts and public officials challenging mask and quarantine policies. J.B. Pritzker in October 2021. ILLINOIS, USA A central Illinois judge has issued a temporary restraining order that prevents school districts statewide from requiring students to wear masks in classrooms, saying Gov.. "You guys have kept school running. Five days later, Pritzker's statewide school mask mandate undid that decision, including for the child of the plaintiff in DeVore's case. Both districts are among dozens of schools systems that are defendants in legal challenges waged by downstate attorney Tom DeVore, who argued Pritzker exceeded his authority with requirements that students and teachers wear masks inside schools, that unvaccinated school employees provide negative COVID-19 test results and that close contacts of infected people stay home. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of parents in 146 school districts in Macoupin County in mid-October last year. In some locales, there were protests at school board meetings. In the metro-east, Red Bud CUSD 132 in. It is not the children you care about.". PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) Several Central Illinois school districts are reacting to a ruling from a judge temporarily lifting COVID-related mandates in schools. They also voted that starting Tuesday, masks will be suggested but not required. It's something small that's working.". Thus, it does not appear the school districts are temporarily restrained from acting by the courts TRO. You have all shown your true colors. A Sangamon County judge issued the order after 145 school districts, including Rockridge, were named in a lawsuit in October 2021. The ruling comes after parents from those . 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Only children 12 and over are currently eligible for COVID vaccines. The rules stemmed from a Sep. 17 executive orderfromPritzker outlining the now-voided requirements. "We have medications that can address the issue. Grischow's temporary restraining order blocks the nearly 170 school districts named in DeVore's lawsuits from enforcing mask requirements and exclusion rules for students and . The state of Illinois announced it will appeal the decision,with Pritzker late Friday calling the ruling "misguided.". As we have from the beginning of the pandemic, the administration will keep working to ensure every Illinoisan has the tools needed to keep themselves and their loved ones safe., Download the WQAD News 8 App Subscribe toourdaily newsletter Subscribeto ourYouTubechannel. J.B. Pritzker, who issued the mask mandate in August, said Thursday it's hard to say what the ruling will be. The Illinois attorney general is seeking an expedited appeal of the restraining order from theFourth District Illinois Appellate Court,according to a statement from Gov. So what does it mean, how are schools responding and whats next? . The court's misguided decision is wrong on the law, demonstrates a misunderstanding of Illinois emergency injunction proceedings and has no relation to the record that was before the court. J.B. Pritzker, ISBE and 16 school districts in Lake and McHenry counties over the states school mask mandate and other COVID rules. "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," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Because future court rulings may go back and forth, and because changing our policies back and forth would create confusion and disruption in our schools, we will continue the current mask policy for now," Archdiocese officials said. 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. Contact StevenSpearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie. Parents filed suit against more than 140 school districts, Gov. However, the district explained there are students who have exceptions as they are included in the lawsuit in which the TRO was issued. Out of 850 school district in Illinois, more than 145 districts have filed a lawsuit against Governor JB Pritzker's mask mandate for schools. Heres the full list from Central Illinois: Amended Complaint Macoupin Co. by Neil Street on Scribd. This decision sends the message that all students do not have the same right to safely access schools and classrooms in Illinois, particularly if they have disabilities or other health concerns, Raoul said in a statement. JBPritzker, Illinois State Board of Education superintendent Carmen Ayala and Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.A hearing before Seventh Circuit Judge April Troemper is set in Carlinville at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 5.The lawsuit questionedthe mask mandate and a schools ability to exclude students and deny in-person learning without a lawful order of quarantine from alocal health department.Pritzker issued an executive order on Aug. 26requiring masks in Illinois schools for teachers, students, staff and visitors.
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illinois school mask lawsuit list of schools