More Confusion For Schools, Parents After State Lawmakers Block Gov. Pritzker From Reinstating Mask Mandate
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- A group of state lawmakers has blocked Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker from reinstating his mask mandate in schools after it expired over the weekend – and this latest ruling adds another layer of confusion for schools and parents when it comes to masking.
As CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported, school districts have been in limbo all over the state when it comes to masks. The bottom line is all eyes are on the Illinois Appellate Court as it is expected to rule soon on the legality of the governor's mask mandate.
At Valley View Community Unit School District 365U in Romeoville, masks are now optional as the board anxiously awaits that appellate ruling.
Students and staff in the district are not required to wear masks because they are part of an ongoing lawsuit that questioned the governor's mandate. A judge in downstate Sangamon County ruled in their favor, but the ruling has since been appealed.
It's an issue that has parents divided in districts across the state.
"They are just happy to have the choice to feel comfortable to do what makes them feel better," one parent said at the Valley View District board meeting Wednesday night.
"Masking is not a choice I will allow my child to make," another parent said. "In fact, there are lots of decisions we don't allow children under the age of 18 to make."
To add a layer of confusion for schools, educators, and parents, a bipartisan group of lawmakers this week rejected a new push to extend the governor's mask mandate in schools after the mandate recently expired. Instead, the committee voted to wait for the court to issue its ruling.
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), a bipartisan oversight panel in charge of reviewing rules created by state agencies, voted 9-0 to reject the Illinois Department of Public Health's effort to ensure school districts that aren't defendants in an ongoing lawsuit over the school mask mandate continue to enforce mask requirements and other COVID-19 restrictions.
Three Democrats on the committee joined six Republicans in voting down the rules, with two other Democrats voting present, and one other Democrat absent from the meeting.
But Pritzker says his mandate still applies to some.
"The executive order requiring masks is still in place," Pritzker said. "School districts that aren't part of the lawsuit should follow the executive order."
As we've reported, there are hundreds of school districts who aren't part of that lawsuit who are already on a mask-optional plan. That ruling from the Illinois Appellate Court could come as soon as this week.