These three southwest IL school districts will not enforce mask, COVID vaccine mandates
Highland, Waterloo and Red Bud students will not be required to wear masks when they return to classes on Monday.
School leaders say they are following a temporary restraining order issued by a judge on Friday regarding mask and vaccine mandates.
Highland School District 5 Superintendent Mike Sutton said in a statement on Saturday that legal advice indicates that District 5 is “clearly instructed” to not enforce Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive orders requiring masks, quarantines when individuals do not have symptoms, and vaccine and testing mandates for employees.
“I am confident in saying that the district will not be enforcing the mask requirement and identifying close contacts for purposes of quarantine starting Monday morning per the judge’s ruling,” Sutton said in the statement posted on the district’s website.
However, Sutton said everyone will be encouraged to wear masks.
In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, Pritzker had issued a mask mandate for schools and required school employees, including teachers, to either be vaccinated against COVID, or be tested weekly for coronavirus.
Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow on Friday issued a temporary restraining order that allows plaintiffs to attend school without a mask and go to work without the vaccine or testing.
Pritzker intends to appeal Grischow’s ruling.
Bond County attorney Tom DeVore is representing the plaintiffs challenging Pritzker’s orders, and on Saturday he posted notices on Facebook that showed Waterloo School District 5 and Red Bud School District 132 leaders also do not plan to enforce the COVID mandates on Monday.
Several other area school districts have been cited in the case, but none of these districts had issued a statement as of Saturday regarding Grischow’s ruling. These area districts include: Collinsville School District 10, Bond County School District 2, Edwardsville School District 7, Triad School District 2, Wesclin School District 3, Columbia School District 4, Mascoutah School District 19, and Carlyle School District 1. Nearly 170 school districts statewide are cited in the case.
Sutton said school districts across the state had met with attorneys on Saturday to decipher what Grischow’s ruling meant. He also said efforts will be made to accommodate students and employees who may request “certain mitigations” when people are around them.
“This court decision does not in any way eliminate COVID, it only changes the way we deal with it,” Sutton said. “Many will be pleased, and many will be disappointed in the result.”
This story was originally published February 5, 2022 at 7:36 PM.
