On Feb. 17, an Illinois appellate court dismissed Gov. JB Pritzker’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling that blocked his mask mandate in schools, WGN-TV reported.
In rejecting the governor’s appeal, the court called it moot after a legislative committee this week did not renew the mask mandate implemented by state health officials, garnering bipartisan support.
Earlier this month, Pritzker announced that, by Feb. 28, he will lift the requirement for face coverings in some indoor locations—but wanted to keep it in effect for schools.
However, Chicago Public Schools plans to continue enforcing masks. A statement, in part, read, “Chicago Public Schools (CPS) stands by our proven COVID-19 safety mitigation measures and is pleased the Appellate Court has confirmed that the Temporary Restraining Order does not prohibit school districts from independently requiring masks, vaccinations for staff, and requiring individuals who have tested positive or have been exposed to COVID-19 to learn/work from home. Our schools will continue to enforce these policies, including mandated universal masking.”
Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) President Dan Montgomery issued a separate statement saying, “The Illinois 4th District Appellate Court’s decision released late last night makes one thing clear: [School] districts are free to implement their own safety measures around COVID-19. And they should.
“Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have insisted that proper mitigations are in place to protect students, teachers and staff, and their families. This was to reduce sickness and death and to keep schools open for in-person learning as much as possible. Today’s appellate court ruling does nothing to change that calculus.”