Mask regulations pushed to school districts

On Friday, Feb. 18, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandate for schools in the state of Illinois was deemed “outdated” by a downstate appellate judge. This decision comes after weeks of battling in courts over the state’s school mask mandate. 

School districts in Illinois, including those in Elmhurst, will now be responsible for deciding masking rules for themselves, according to multiple sources. 

Parents on all sides of this issue have been voicing their opinions strongly for weeks about whether to have a mask mandate in place for schools.  

“The Sunday after the TRO [temporary restraining order] was granted, I emailed the principal, as well as my child’s teacher, informing them of our plan to exercise mask free choice as per TRO motion,” said parent Marie Davis. “Received no email back. I received a call later that night from the principal, stating that my daughter will not be allowed to remain at school the following day [Tuesday] if she refuses to wear a mask.”

However, some individuals have been vocal for masks, one person writing in a Facebook post, “Thank God some districts will keep masks in place.” This being a response to the provision that school districts will be making their own choices about masking.

Some school districts, such as District 204, which covers parts of DuPage County, will be getting rid of their mask mandate on Feb. 22, in order to give parents adequate time to adjust, according to a press release. 

This new ruling comes after Illinois hits three million reported cases of COVID-19, according to the Illinois Department of Health.