This Southwestern Illinois school district makes masks optional starting Friday
O’Fallon District 90 will switch to a “mask recommended” approach in schools beginning Friday, Superintendent Carrie Hruby announced in an email to parents this week.
The O’Fallon Township High School 203 school board unanimously voted Wednesday night to go mask optional beginning on Thursday. O’Fallon 90 is an elementary district that feeds into OTHS.
Masks are still required on school buses, under a federal requirement. O’Fallon 90 will still require preschool students to mask, with the exception of nap time and snack time.
Hruby’s email Wednesday outlined the districts decreasing COVID cases — from 178 student and staff cases on Jan. 27 to 31 cases on Tuesday — and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement on Wednesday that masks will not be required in many indoor settings at the end of the month.
The email to parents did not reference Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow’s rulings last Friday, which granted a temporary restraining order to the students and staff named as plaintiffs in two court cases related to masks, quarantines, vaccines and testing. Other districts, including O’Fallon 203, have cited her ruling in choosing to go mask-optional while Pritzker’s executive order to require masks in schools still stands.
Before issuing the temporary restraining order, Grischow chose not to certify the class, which could have allowed students and staff not named as plaintiffs to also fall under the temporary restraining order. Without class certification, the scope is limited to the plaintiffs.
Parents who have concerns and want to discuss options for increased mitigation layers for their student can reach out to their building principal, Hruby wrote. Some options would include seating, additional personal protective equipment or desk shields.
The district will continue to monitor data about COVID cases in school in case mask requirements need to be revisited.
Previously, the Illinois State Board of Education put school districts who refused to comply with the mask mandate on probation. The board did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday asking if they would continue to do so in light of Grischow’s ruling.