What the ruling does. So what does it mean, how are schools responding and whats next? More than 700 parents took part in the lawsuit, claiming local health department should have authority to quarantine or mandate masks, not the schools. (The Center Square) - Students attending one of the 145 schools across Illinois who are part of a sweeping lawsuit won't have to wear a mask if they don't want to, unless they're given due process. 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. 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. So right now we're effectively in a holding pattern.". How many Illinois school districts are mask optional? The lawsuit contended that IDPH and ISBE are not lawful authoritieson which school districts can base mask and exclusion policies. "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. While Pritzker will spill gallons on ink on the history of the COVID pandemic and how his administration has worked to keep people safe, none of this obfuscation is relevant to the precise question of what is the extent of his delegated power by the legislature under the [Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act], DeVote wrote in the 11-page complaint. 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. Several surrounding school districts, including Schaumburg, Elmhurst, Arlington Heights, Barrington and Wheaton, have chosen to make masks optional. Dozens of students showed up at Naperville schools Monday maskless. 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. Some of the parents in the complaint shared their views on the issue prior to filing the complaint, said O'Laughlin. Pritzker said the. 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.". 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. On Monday, Rochester's board of education met at a special meeting to pass a layered mitigation plan. "They're hollow policies and without any lawful rule and some mechanism, you can't do anything with them. Yahoo fa parte della famiglia di brand di Yahoo. Some school districts kept their mask rules in place, while others made them optional. Illinois Gov. "We have had parent contact at board meetings and had conversations with a variety of parents, including the ones listed not all of them but also additional parents who have shared their concerns on both sides of the issue with the district," O'Laughlin said. What exactly happened with the ruling? The lawsuit named at least 69 Chicago area school districts as defendants, including the Chicago Public Schools and districts from all regions of Chicago's suburbs. Masks optional but encouraged. A dozen parents or guardians from District 122 were named in the complaint. "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 granting them a temporary restraining order, Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene DeWitte Grischow said the mandates violate the plaintiffs' "due process rights under the law which provide them a meaningful opportunity to object to any such mitigations.". 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. 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. Attorney General Raoul officially filed an appeal Monday morning. The judge filed a temporary restraining order against Bond CountyCommunity UnitSchool DistrictNo. By. 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. "We have heard from all sides throughout the pandemic about their feelings regarding masking and the quarantine.". 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 staff as well as. Complaint filed . Some districts are put in a different situation due to collective bargaining agreements. A downstate Illinois judge issued a ruling declaring Gov. 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. Some 60% of new colorectal cancers in . 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. In south suburban Burbank, School District 111 will "fully comply with the court's ruling," but recommends masks be worn by all students and staff in school buildings. CHICAGO (WLS) -- A downstate attorney is asking for a temporary restraining order against Chicago Public Schools over their continued requirement for face masks. The day will be made up on May 31. "It's time for kids out of masks. The outcome of the lawsuit will impact school districts across the state, including in Central Illinois. Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow heard oral arguments in the case earlier this month prior to granting the temporary restraining order. 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. All Rights Reserved. Sam said he is listening to his mom and the new rules have him worried. TAYLOR RIDGE, Ill. Mask requirements, quarantine, COVID-19 vaccination mandates, and testing rules are temporarily blocked for Illinois schools following a judge's ruling on Feb 4. Help fund the NPR Illinois mission to inform the community by securing business sponsorships. AlWood, Sterling and Dixon school districts announced over the weekend they will be mask optional beginning Monday. J.B. Pritzker's emergency rules for COVID-19 mitigations in schools "null and void,", New Ranking Names Most Expensive Cities In Illinois and These Chicago Suburbs Top the List, Chicago Suburb Lands on List of Happiest Places to Live,' Another Midwest City Makes Top 10, Chicago-Area Counties Under Winter Storm Advisories and Warnings, Stomach Bug Cases Surging, Sending People to Emergency Rooms in Chicago Area. Rock Island-Milan School District to begin COVID-19 testing for students and staff, Pritzker announces paid COVID leave for vaccinated IL school employees, 'People are burnt out': Staff shortages at IL schools have teachers stretched thin. READ: Judge Raylene Grischow's full ruling here. That happened in Bond County. Parents from Dunlap, two school districts in Metamora, Germantown Hills, Eureka, Brimfield, Mortonand Limestone in Bartonville are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. 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 . 8 min read. This Executive Order from Gov. 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. Same goes for certain school staff who don't want to take weekly COVID-19 tests for not being vaccinated. NBC 5 talked to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, about the state of COVID-19 in Illinois. Puoi modificare le tue scelte in qualsiasi momento cliccando sui link "Dashboard privacy" sui nostri siti e sulle nostre app. 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. In September, a judge there ordered a preliminary injunction in a case that has not gone to trial yet. Sangamon . A spokeswoman for Gov. 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 . Chicago Public Schools and its 350,000 students will continue masking. Early in July, the Centers for Disease Control released guidance for schools, which only recommended masks for unvaccinated individuals. It's something small that's working.". Illinois schools were scrambling to react after a ruling by a downstate judge Friday placed a temporary restraining order on Gov. For others, the mask optional decision was long overdue. 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Robert Frost 8th grader Teresa Watson said she wants to see how the mask optional policy goes. Attorney General Kwame Raoul agreed with Pritzker that the ruling would make it more difficult to protect students and school employees from the virus, and said he would appeal. A hearing before Seventh Circuit Judge April Troemper is set for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 5 in Carlinville. The legislation remains the subject of advocacy and outrage in parent Facebook groups against masking in schools. Restaurant vaccine mandate, indoor mask rules could end 'soon' if COVID cases stay in free fall. Statutory rights have attempted to be bypassed through the issuance of executive orders and emergency rules, she stated in the 29-page order. Jeff Schuler, Community Unit School District 200. It prohibited schools from requiring the plaintiffs kids to wear a mask unless there was consent or a court order. The state of Illinois announced it will appeal the decision,with Pritzker late Friday calling the ruling "misguided.". 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. 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. 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. J.B. Pritzkers school mask mandate and other safety measures from being enforced statewide.After canceling classes Monday to study the ruling, St. Charles District 303 and Geneva District 304 announced they are encouraging students and staff to continue to wear masks, but will no longer require them to do so. Some Illinois parents are urging their kids to go to school without a mask today to protest Gov. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The mask mandate remains at Hinsdale high schools. Patti Rojek told her 13-year-old son Sam to keep wearing his. 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. Missouri Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt completed on Friday a promise made earlier this week by filing lawsuits against 36 public school districts for requiring masks. -Geneva School District 304: School canceled Monday. According to The State Journal-Register, Gov. A Sangamon County judge has denied class action status for a lawsuit challenging Illinois' mask and vaccine mandates for school personnel. And we will stand with our local unions to protect our members and the students they serve. Cary School District 26 has about 2,400 students. "I'm not sure who you represent but it is not us," said another parent. 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. [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. At what point as a society do we say let's try to go back to normal? On Wednesday, Illinois Gov. "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. For children in primary schools, health advice is that under 11s are exempt from wearing face coverings in national guidance ? The Joliet Diocese is requiring all catholic schools within the diocese to continue to wear masks including Joliet Catholic Academy. SANGAMON COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- A downstate Illinois judge ruled against the state's school mandates, including masking, in response to lawsuits involving parents and teachers from more than. One of the cases DeVore is representing parents in actually sparked this newest lawsuit and the largest complaint filed yet. The case was filed by attorney Thomas DeVore on October 20 in Macoupin County against Gov. 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. Weather explainer: What is a River Flood Warning? Full Statement from Illinois Federation of Teachers. Contact StevenSpearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie. Masks will continue to be required at the district except for the 11 students named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, the district's school board said in a letter to families Sunday that was provided to the Northwest Herald separately by two different parents. Pritzker's administration quickly adopted the new guidelines. 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. 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. "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.".