One of the cases DeVore is representing parents in actually sparked this newest lawsuit and the largest complaint filed yet. Some are comfortable with the switch to a mask optional policy, while others are not. A Sangamon County judge has denied class action status for a lawsuit challenging Illinois' mask and vaccine mandates for school personnel. One can only presume Pritzker is dissatisfied the legislature chose not to empower IDPH and ISBE with this authority, so he took it upon himself to pilfer the power of the legislature and for all intents and purposes made HB 2789 a law on his own, the suit said. If such overreach is allowed to stand, the separation of powers will have been reduced to ashes and the executive will be allowed to disregard the legislature and create law, rules and regulations at his or her pleasure, the suit said. 8 min read. So what does it mean, how are schools responding and whats next? Full Statement from Illinois Federation of Teachers. Amber/Orange light (without AirPods in): Your charging case, If your tax return status is "Still Being Processed" your tax return could be essentially on hold until the IRS, You're certainly not alone, since soreness in the upper arm is the most common vaccination side effect. 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. Illinois has about 850 districts. Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow heard oral arguments last week in a class action . More than 700 parents took part in the lawsuit, claiming local health department should have authority to quarantine or mandate masks, not the schools. In some locales, there were protests at school board meetings. Arlington Heights School District 25 distributed a letter to parents saying it will be in a "mask recommended environment" - at least during the Temporary Restraining Order period. District 202 made note of the fluid situation in its message. 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. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, p This decision sends the message that all students do not have the same right to safely access schools and classrooms in Illinois, particularly if they have disabilities or other health concerns, Raoul said in a statement. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of parents in 146 school districts in Macoupin County in mid-October last year. Per saperne di pi su come utilizziamo i tuoi dati personali, consulta la nostra Informativa sulla privacy e la nostra Informativa sui cookie. ", According to these parents, Pritzker has continuously issued, "one-man edicts, mandates, orders, and one size fits all guidance," throughout the pandemic. MACOUPIN CO., Ill. (WCIA) A long list of parents filed a lawsuit against 145 school districts in Illinois Wednesday. Abbott prohibits mask mandates by local governments including school districts. Gov. Pritzker's request to move a massive class-action lawsuit over the state's school mask mandate and other COVID rules to a different county. "Why are you continuing to enforce a mandate that is null and void?" "Its far past time we restore the system of self-governance upon which this nation was founded. The parents from District 203 read from the temporary restraining order. 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. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. A downstate Illinois judge issued a ruling declaring Gov. The superintendent of District 122 in Metamora said they were aware of the lawsuit, but not in any official capacity. It's something small that's working.". There are exceptions. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. ", Governor JB Pritzker spoke about the ruling Monday morning at a press conference on preventing expressway shootings. Neither Pritzkers office, nor the ISBE, immediately returned messages seeking comment. "I'm not sure who you represent but it is not us," said another parent. The IEMAA is largely silent on its applicability to school districts. A spokeswoman for Gov. mostrarti annunci e contenuti personalizzati in base ai profili di interesse; misurare l'efficacia di annunci e contenuti personalizzati; sviluppare e migliorare i nostri prodotti e servizi. The state's second largest school district will have an exemption for a handful of students whose parents were part of the lawsuit, but that's it. 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. 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. San Diego County has low community levels for COVID-19. Thus, it does not appear the school districts are temporarily restrained from acting by the courts TRO. . The school district appealed, and the Fifth District Appellate Court said the restraining order had, Illinois school mask mandate temporarily blocked by courts, Illinois schools temporarily blocked from enforcing mask mandates and vaccinationsA temporary restraining order issued Friday by Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge RayleneGrischow has reducedschools ability to require masks and vaccinations.The orderwas the result of severallawsuits broughtby Greenville attorney Thomas DeVore on behalf of several hundred parents and teachers from around the state. Joliet School District 204 - masks required in all settings, including education. -Hinsdale/Clarendon Hills School District 181- Open Tuesday. It was a regular school day inside. Rochester Superintendent Dan Cox said he communicated with parents and guardians after the TRO was announced. 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 . Rockridge School District released a statement, saying they are reviewing the judge's decision and will provide an update "as soon as possible.". 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. All rights reserved, Indiana State Trooper Struck and Killed by Suspect During Police Chase, Chicago FOP Lodge Reelects John Catanzara as President. "What that says right thereis what I've been saying for months, that (Pritzker's) executive orders are just fearmongering," DeVore said. Robert Frost 8th grader Teresa Watson said she wants to see how the mask optional policy goes. 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The 90 plaintiffs in the suit worked in 22 different . Pritzker added it didn't stop businesses or local governments from creating and enforcing mask requirements. Prior to the ruling,NBC 5 talked to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, about the state of COVID-19 in Illinois. The ruling comes after parents from those . Cox said he didn't seeany problems in schools after the TRO basically made mask wearing unenforceable. "Naperville made a decision per the guidance of health departments, to continue the requirement of masking in schools, buses, after school activities, with the exception of the named parties in the lawsuit," said Superintendent Dan Bridges. The latest lawsuit was filed in Macoupin County. The mask mandate remains at Hinsdale high schools. It prohibited schools from requiring the plaintiffs kids to wear a mask unless there was consent or a court order. ", More:Illinois mask mandate for most indoor settings will be lifted by the end of the month. Illinois school districts will be deciding whether or not to make masks optional after a judge ruled against the state's mandate. It was later moved to Grischow's courtroom in Sangamon County. 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. Now that the judge has made her widely-anticipated ruling, what are the next steps? Illinois schools from requiring people to wear face masks in classes and excluding students and staff from school buildings if they've had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. An Illinois appellate court late Thursday evening dismissed Gov. 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. Lake County school districts named in the, Amber/Orange light (with AirPods in): Your AirPods are charging inside the case. 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. Sam said he is listening to his mom and the new rules have him worried. The case was filed by attorney Thomas DeVore on October 20 in Macoupin County against Gov. 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, he said. "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. DeVore rose to prominence among conservatives last year for filing numerous lawsuits against Pritzkers administration for COVID mitigations, most famously a suit that freed just one person State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) from the governors stay-at-home orders. Gov. Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow heard oral arguments in the case earlier this month prior to granting the temporary restraining order. The state of Illinois plans to appeal the decision, Pritzker said late Friday, calling the judges decision misguided., Parents sue Pritzker, 16 school districts in Lake and McHenry , Parents sue Pritzker, 16 school districts in Lake and McHenry counties over mask mandate, COVID rules File Photo Gov. She said her kids will continue wearing their masks. 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. For one thing, what she issued was only a temporary restraining order, expecting a final decision later. HIRING! Illinois is one of 13 states that require masks in schools in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Chicago Public Schools and its 350,000 students will continue masking. Prolific anti-COVID mitigation attorney Tom DeVore on Monday filed suit over Gov. To facilitate safe in-person learning, the administration has provided schools across the state with 3.8 million masks for students, teachers, and staff as of January 12th. J.B. Pritzker's mask mandate being found null and void by Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow Feb. 4. The day will be made up on May 31. "Until somebody tells us otherwise, we're going to follow the mandates that the Governor, IDPH and ISBE have put out, and if there is a court order, then the court order trumps that until it's actually litigated. "It's time for kids out of masks. The state's two. All this is prompted by Gov. 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.". KalegNar 1 yr. ago. The school district appealed, and the Fifth District Appellate Court said the restraining order had to be vacated because the lawsuit didnt name Governor J.B. Pritzer, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health as defendants, in addition to the school district. By Kenzie Dillow. "We're really excited for that," said father of three Michael Lafido. J.B. Pritzker's statewide mask mandate in school buildings.. Same goes for certain school staff who don't want to take weekly COVID-19 tests for not being vaccinated. This shows yet again that the mask mandate and school exclusion protocols are essential tools to keep schools open and everyone safe.. (CNN/WSIL) -- A group of parents in Illinois have filed a lawsuit against nearly 150 school districts and public officials challenging mask and quarantine policies. Only children 12 and over are currently eligible for COVID vaccines. Attorney General Raoul officially filed an appeal Monday morning. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) -- A downstate judge has granted a temporary restraining order in favor of a group that sued to end COVID-19 mask mandates in Illinois public school districts.. Hannah covers state government and politics for NPR Illinois and Illinois Public Radio. "There are factual bases for the distinction," Craven said. Lawsuit seeks to block mask mandates, exclusion rules . She's been dedicated to the statehouse beat since interning at NPR Illinois in 2014, with subsequent stops at outlets including WILL-AM/FM, Law360, The Daily Line and a temporary stint at political blog Capitol Fax before returning to the station in 2020. Pritzker later responded to the decision; asking the Attorney General's Office to grant an immediate appeal. DeVore was in the process of writing a temporary restraining order in the latest lawsuit Thursday afternoon. Pritzker's administration quickly adopted the new guidelines. 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. At least one Illinois school district has canceled classes for Monday and many others have decided to recommend masks. Around the state, it set off widely varying reactions by school districts, some of whom called off classes in the wake of the confusion. In part, the law says it has general supervision of the interests of the health, and lives of the people of the state. Part of the parents lawsuit argues that only local health departments have the authority to issue mask and quarantine orders under state statute. The state's largest school district on Saturday said it would continue a mask mandate in its schools, along with staff vaccination and testing requirements, despite a ruling Friday by a. Students crave consistency, but Judge Grischows Feb. 4 decision to enter a TRO in the case sent schools into chaos," Griffin noted. The ruling was a response to a lawsuit filed by a group of parents and school districts who claimed . The court meets in Springfield. It is not the children you care about.". Parents from Dunlap, two school districts in Metamora, Germantown Hills, Eureka, Brimfield, Mortonand Limestone in Bartonville are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The local school districts named in the parents' lawsuit include Springfield Public School District 186 and Ball-Chatham School District 5 along with Carrollton, Mount Pulaski, Petersburg. All rights reserved, A downstate Illinois judge issued a ruling declaring Gov. You have all shown your true colors. If the legislature wont act to reign in these abuses, our only recourse to seek redress is the judiciary. (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. Follow heron Facebook.com/leslie.renken. First, that students and teachers cannot be required to wear masks while in school buildings or be excluded from school premises after close contact exposure to COVID-19, absent consent or a full evidentiary hearing and court order entered pursuant to the procedures contained in Section 2 of the Illinois Department of Public Health Act. Craven said schools are different because most younger students are unvaccinated or can't be vaccinated age-wise and movement is different in schools versus workplaces. After that ruling went in favor the lawsuit, whose plaintiffs include parents from District 203, the board decided in a closed-door Sunday meeting that they would continue to require masks in schools. This comes as school districts scrambled to reassess COVID mitigations after a judge granted a temporary injunction last week. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A downstate judge has granted a temporary restraining order against mask mandates for 140 school districts throughout the state. 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. Biden surveys Ida cleanup in, Newsfeed Now: UPS driver spreads joy with TikTok, Newsfeed Now: Hurricane Ida death toll rises after, Newsfeed Now: Supreme Court allows Texas abortion, Newsfeed Now: Pres. On Wednesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced that the statewide mask mandate that requires face coverings in public indoor settings will be lifted Monday, Feb. 28. The outcome of the lawsuit will impact school districts across the state, including in Central Illinois. As one of the districts named in the lawsuit that resulted in the temporary restraining order, administrators said removing the mask mandate for their schools was a legal decision.