More School Districts In Illinois Going Mask Optional, But CPS Keeping Mandate In Place
CHICAGO (CBS) -- More school districts in Illinois are going mask optional after the CDC last week updated its COVID-19 guidance, but Chicago Public Schools will still require masks for students, teachers, and staff.
CBS 2's Mugo Odigwe reports some CPS parents want things to stay that way for the rest of the school year.
It's a side of the masking debate we don't see often. A small group gathered outside City Hall on Monday in support of keeping the mask mandate in place at CPS.
They argued we're not at the point of returning to normal just yet.
"I think that a lot of people are hoping this over, and I'm here to tell you it's not. We are still living in a pandemic," said CPS Parent Dr. Jesú Estrada
While Gov. JB Pritzker lifted the statewide school mask mandate, after the CDC last week said people in most of the U.S. no longer need to wear masks indoors, CPS is keeping its mask mandate in place as part of its COVID-19 safety agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union.
The district has also said its student vaccination rate is still falling far below the rest of the city.
Meantime, Catholic schools in Chicago are now making masks optional, after the Archdiocese of Chicago lifted its mask requirement in the city, Evanston, and Oak Park. Other Archdiocese schools in Lake County and most of suburban Cook County have been mask optional since Feb. 10.
Parents at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic School on Monday said they're comfortable with having their kids decide whether to mask up.
"He's been vaccinated, and he's been boosted, so it's up to him. I think he knows our situation at home, and what he feels comfortable," said Jeff Mezydlo, whose son goes to St. Robert Bellarmine.
There are still other precautions in place for Archdiocese schools. Students returning from quarantine must mask up for at least five days.