Gov. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The court also disposed of Pritzker's contention that his executive orders, despite the JCAR ruling, were still in effect. CHICAGO (WLS) -- On Monday, Chicago Public Schools parents Kelley Escamilla and her husband gave their 3rd and 6th graders a choice: Go to school and wear a mask or don't. They didn't wear masks . The judge filed a temporary restraining order against Bond CountyCommunity UnitSchool DistrictNo. The lawsuit against the 146 schooldistricts was originally filed in Macoupin County in October. Please read an important update from Superintendent Sanders on our COVID mitigation strategies, including masks here https://t.co/jQBvX09xKh. 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. The Illinois Federation of Teachers is greatly distressed at the judge's temporary restraining order (TRO) in this case. As school districts across the state begin to interpret the order, different actions are being taken. 20. Leslie Renken can be reached at(309) 370-5087orlrenken@pjstar.com. 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. Also going "mask optional" are large suburban public school districts across the area, including those in Schaumburg, Elmhurst, Arlington Heights, Barrington and Wheaton, where Shannon Limjuco has two elementary school grade children. Derik Holtmann dholtmann@bnd.com. 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.". A downstate Illinois judge issued a ruling declaring Gov. A hearing before Seventh Circuit Judge April Troemper is set for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 5 in Carlinville. J.B. Pritzker. On Tuesday, the General Assembly's Joint Committee on Administrative Rulesrejected an emergency rule proposed by IDPH which would have outlined the requirements for schools to "exclude" certain students based on their exposure to COVID-19as well as require masks for students and teachers. Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow issued the order Friday afternoon in a lawsuit brought by hundreds of parents in more than 145 school districts who claim the mask order. What the ruling does. (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. Those who are exempt dont have to wear masks. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education last year, arguing there was no due process in Illinois statewide mask order. The case is a culmination of several others filed statewide by Attorney Tom DeVore. One of the cases DeVore is representing parents in actually sparked this newest lawsuit and the largest complaint filed yet. MACOUPIN CO., Ill. (WCIA) A long list of parents filed a lawsuit against 145 school districts in Illinois Wednesday. The day will be made up on May 31. All parents want is a choice," said Jennifer Hildreth, anti-mask parent. ", Governor JB Pritzker spoke about the ruling Monday morning at a press conference on preventing expressway shootings. J.B. Pritzker's COVID-19 mask mandate was authorized illegally prompted chaos and confusion Monday morning at school districts across Illinois, as. "We have kids who are really suffering," Davidson added, "and we just want to present an optional environment where those decisions for the children can be made in the home and we're going to respect them.". 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. 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. "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. Cox said he didn't seeany problems in schools after the TRO basically made mask wearing unenforceable. Well over 100 school districts in Illinois were sued in the lawsuit. A temporary restraining order issued Friday by Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow has reduced schools' ability to require masks and vaccinations. But the state's top court . "What that says right thereis what I've been saying for months, that (Pritzker's) executive orders are just fearmongering," DeVore said. Thus, it does not appear the school districts are temporarily restrained from acting by the courts TRO. CHICAGO Illinois schools are no longer required to mandate masks for their students, according to a court ruling. J.B.. Geneva District 304 has declared Monday an emergency day as the schools work out what they will do regarding masks, officials announced Sunday night. There are exceptions. Neither Pritzkers office, nor the ISBE, immediately returned messages seeking comment. Puoi modificare le tue scelte in qualsiasi momento cliccando sui link "Dashboard privacy" sui nostri siti e sulle nostre app. People seem to be leaving to states with an improved business climate, lower taxes, and we would also say because that states with the worst government finances seem to be losing population the most, Weinberg said. 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.". 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. 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. Hinsdale District 181 schools also declare an emergency due to the mask ruling and will be going remote Monday, officials said. "We have zero documentation other than what we've found online," saidSean OLaughlin on Thursday afternoon. The administration is working with (Attorney General Kwame Raoul)to request an expedited review of this decision from the (Illinois) Supreme Court. 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. The state of Illinois announced it will appeal the decision. School districts and private businesses can continue to require masks at their discretion. Some said they will continue to strongly encourage their use, others that these are decisions that should be made at home, like the Superintendent of Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst. Elgin Area School District U46 is standing by its requirement, explaining its Board of Education approved a resolution in August of last year supporting that the district follows recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as local health agencies. "It's time for kids out of masks. Not anymore. 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. In part, the law says it has general supervision of the interests of the health, and lives of the people of the state. On Wednesday, Illinois Gov. Lawsuit filed against 140 Illinois school districts over COVID , Parents file class action lawsuit against Peoria-area school districts over COVID rulesParents from eight Peoria-area school districts are participating in a lawsuit aimed at abolishing mask requirements in schools.The class action lawsuit against 140 school districts around Illinois was filed Wednesday at the Macoupin County courthouse in Carlinville. 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. MORE: Students walk out over COVID-19 in-person learning . The class action lawsuit against 140 school districts. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education last year, arguing there was no due process in Illinois' statewide mask order. Only children 12 and over are currently eligible for COVID vaccines. Chicago-area school districts are relaxing their COVID-19 policies or revealing they plan to stay the course in the wake of an Illinois judge's decision to temporarily prevent Gov. Hannah covers state government and politics for NPR Illinois and Illinois Public Radio. 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. 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 restraining order issued Feb. 4 barring schools from enforcing it was dismissed. 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. 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. 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. | Provided Photo. "We hadboth students and adults wearing masks and there were those who chose not to wear masks," Cox said. Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow issued the order Friday afternoon in a lawsuit brought by hundreds of parents in more than 145 school districts who claim the mask order denies students due process. Now that the judge has made her widely-anticipated ruling, what are the next steps? For one thing, what she issued was only a temporary restraining order, expecting a final decision later. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. A central Illinois judge has issued a temporary restraining order that prevents school districts statewide that were sued from requiring students to wear masks in classrooms . Help fund the NPR Illinois mission to inform the community by securing business sponsorships. Pritzker had harsh wordsfor the judge's decision and quickly urged the state's attorney general's office to appeal, suggesting the ruling could spark another surge in the virus. Other parents who added their names to the complaint include six from Germantown Hills School District 69; 13from Eureka Community Unit District 140; 10 from Metamora Community Consolidated School District 1; seven from Brimfield Community Unit School District 309; nine from Morton Community Unit School District 709; four from Limestone Community High School District 310. - Timothy Christian Schools: Mask optional, - Barrington School District: Masks recommended but not required, - District 200 in Wheaton: Masks recommended but not required, - District 67 in Lake Forest: Masks recommended but not required. All Rights Reserved. Mask optional on Tuesday. In some locales, there were protests at school board meetings. Same goes for certain school staff who don't want to take weekly COVID-19 tests for not being vaccinated. 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. 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. 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. "You have all shown your true colors. Illinois schools were scrambling to react after a ruling by a downstate judge Friday placed a temporary restraining order on Gov. More than 700 parents took part in the lawsuit, claiming local health department should have authority to quarantine or mandate masks, not the schools. 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. "Some people were saying like, 'Oh yeah this is so exciting finally!' We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. She said her kids will continue wearing their masks. "Why are you continuing to enforce a mandate that is null and void?" Per saperne di pi su come utilizziamo i tuoi dati personali, consulta la nostra Informativa sulla privacy e la nostra Informativa sui cookie. JBPritzker,Illinois State Board of Education superintendent Carmen Ayala and Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, as defendants.A hearing before Seventh Circuit Judge April Troemper is set for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 5 in Carlinville.COVID vaccine:Hundreds of Peoria teachers, staff havent taken COVID vaccine, district saysThe superintendent of District 122 in Metamora said they were aware of the lawsuit, but not in any official capacity.We have zero documentation other than what weve found online,, Illinois school mask mandate ruling forces districts to decide , Illinois school mask mandate ruling forces districts to decide whether or not to make masks optionalSCHAUMBURG, Ill. (WLS) An Illinois judges 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.Some school districts kept their mask rules in place, while others made them optional.But emotions boiled over a meeting in Naperville Monday night.Why are you continuing to enforce a mandate that is null and void? ranted one parent. Governor JB . The Illinois Supreme Court granted Gov. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. "We have medications that can address the issue. "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. 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. Illinois has about 850 districts. Pritzker added it didn't stop businesses or local governments from creating and enforcing mask requirements. Hundreds of thousands of students, teachers, and staff across Illinois are doing their best to remain healthy and keep schools open. Parents lash out at Naperville school board meeting after district decides to keep requiring masks. 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. "Within her ruling, Judge Grischow, recognizes the independent authority of school districts," Supt. Dozens of students showed up at Naperville schools Monday maskless. That wouldn't affect schools or congregate settings like hospitals and long-term care facilities. 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. I know there was a lot of discussion going on outside of the school walls. 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