mask mandate
A St. Charles County Circuit Court judge dismissed Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s lawsuit Thursday against the local school district’s now-rescinded mask mandate, leaving few cases from Schmitt’s legal blitz remaining. The City of St. Charles School District was one of 47 districts Schmitt sued earlier this year over mask mandates, and it was one of only three…
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court is being asked to review the state’s mask mandate and other COVID-19 mitigation orders for K-12 schools on an expedited schedule. Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a petition for appeal Tuesday, along with a motion for an emergency stay of a Sangamon County judge’s order to block enforcement of…
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House voted to remove nine Republican members from the House floor Thursday afternoon for their refusal to comply with face covering requirements, delaying the start of the legislative session for the third straight day. In a 66-39 vote, Democrats voted to remove Reps. Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, Blaine Wilhour,…
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SPRINGFIELD — Confusion and pushback regarding the enforcement of masks mandates spilled over onto the House Floor Wednesday afternoon during the chamber’s regular legislative session after Republicans refused to comply with face covering requirements. Amid the pandemic, lawmakers approved House rules requiring face coverings to be worn in the chamber unless eating, drinking or speaking…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker will make an official announcement on the state’s plan for lifting its indoor mask mandate at 2 p.m. in Chicago, but in a morning news conference in Champaign Wednesday, he noted that he plans to lift the indoor mandate for some settings by Feb. 28. That won’t be the lift…
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SPRINGFIELD — Illinoisans should stay tuned for an announcement on the state’s indoor mask mandate, Gov. JB Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference Tuesday, although he declined to say specifically what changes might be coming. “I think I’ve said over the last few press conferences that I really believe that we ought to be…
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Quincy Public Schools Superintendent Roy Webb released a statement Saturday evening saying District 172 would no longer enforce masking requirements for students and staff and would cease testing of unvaccinated staff. This comes on the heels of Friday’s ruling by a Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow that “deemed null and void” Governor J.B. Pritzker’s…
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Students attending one of the 145 schools across Illinois who are part of a sweeping lawsuit won’t have to wear a mask if they don’t want to, unless they’re given due process. Same goes for certain school staff who don’t want to take weekly COVID-19 tests for not being vaccinated. They must also have due…
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker responded to the lawsuit filed by attorney Thomas DeVore against 145 schools, Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education behalf of hundreds of parents of students over COVID-19 orders affecting school children. “Well, you know, he’s a grifter who is taking money from parents who are being taken advantage of,”…
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Gov. J.B Pritzker said Illinois will need to show a steady decline in state COVID-19 transmissions before he considers lifting the statewide indoor mask mandate he revived in August. When asked what metrics were needed for Pritzker to rescind his executive order, the governor pointed to high hospitalization rates and new case numbers relative to metrics when Illinois “fully…
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A judge in Effingham County has issued a temporary restraining order against the Illinois State Board of Education and reinstated the recognition status of two public schools that aren’t following the governor’s COVID-19 mask mandate. The case was brought by attorney Thomas DeVore on behalf of Red Hill, Woden-Herrick and Beecher City school districts. While…
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday he’s looking for clear signs that coronavirus transmission is on the decline in Illinois before he’ll consider lifting the indoor mask mandate he reinstated in late August amid a surge driven by the virus’ highly contagious delta variant. “We’re watching to make sure that we’re on a good downward trajectory,” Pritzker said…
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Three children in Effingham County can’t be forced to wear masks without an official quarantine order from the county health department, a judge ruled Wednesday. Later in the day, a different judge enjoined an entire school district from requiring masks without a court order. The attorney who brought the cases anticipates more such cases across…
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Ask state education board to adopt formal rules on enforcement actions By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Expressing concern that the Illinois State Board of Education might have overstepped its bounds by threatening to withhold funding from school districts that do not enforce its mask mandate, a legislative panel on Tuesday urged the agency…
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A new bill would give the Illinois State Board of Education the authority to issue, withhold and revoke state recognition of schools who fail to comply with COVID-19 health regulations. Notably, the bill has not yet been introduced to a committee, meaning beyond being drafted and introduced, there has been no legislative activity on the measure. The…
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QUINCY — People are sick and tired of being sick and tired. But does the COVID-19 virus care about that? As the State of Illinois re-tightens its COVID protocols, a packed house at Quincy’s Holiday Inn heard people wanting local control back in government and a lawyer who has traveled statewide attempting to block governments…
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QUINCY — Motions for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against the Quincy School District and superintendent Roy Webb were filed at the Adams County Courthouse late Monday afternoon by an attorney representing three Quincy families. The motions were filed by Thomas DeVore, a Sorento, Ill., attorney with Silver Lake Group, Ltd., in…
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QUINCY — You won’t be taken away in handcuffs if you choose to defy Gov. JB Pritzker’s order to wear a mask indoors. A mask mandate inside buildings begins Monday across Illinois. Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley said Friday education will the focus of his staff when complaints are lodged by the public about masks…
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SPRINGFIELD – State. Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is “going it alone” with his pandemic decision-making as he announces more mask and vaccine mandates in light of rising COVID numbers in the state. Tracy wrote on her Facebook page the changes to Illinois’ COVID-19 mitigation plan are just the latest in…
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A member of Illinois’ Joint Committee on Administrative Rules says the Illinois State Board of Education needs to explain its authority to punish schools for following the governor’s mask mandate. About 51 of the more than 850 school districts in Illinois are on probation for not following Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandate. Probation is the…
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MENDON — Jessica Humke struggled to spit the word out of her mouth. “Yes.” Humke and six other members of the Community Unit School District No. 4 School Board voted Wednesday night at Unity Elementary School to follow Gov. JB Pritzker’s announcement this month that masks are required for students, teachers and staff at pre-K…
Read Full Article State warns of decreasing intensive care bed capacity amid latest surge SPRINGFIELD – The statewide mask mandate indoors is back, and educators and health care professionals will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday amid an ongoing surge in the pandemic that first arrived in Illinois in March 2020. Beginning…
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CHICAGO – Illinois Governor JB Pritzker received a question Tuesday at a news conference asking if he was going to follow through with strict enforcement measures against local school districts that voted to remain mask-optional. Reporter: “So far, 51 school districts out of 859 are defying your mask mandate and allowing parental choice. Are you…
Read Full Article The Illinois State Board of Education is updating its list of schools that have chosen to defy Governor JB Pritzker’s mask mandate. The Warsaw School Board voted 5-2 on Monday night to follow the mask mandate when the district returns from the Labor Day break on September 7. School officials met with ISBE representatives earlier…
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Warsaw native Steve Lucie of We Stand for Our Students, a community group concerned about parent choice regarding mask options, spoke during the Illinois State Board of Education’s meeting in Springfield on Aug. 18. He returned to Quincy for a taping of Muddy River News This Week, then attended the Warsaw School Board meeting. That’s…
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SPRINGFIELD — A capacity crowd packed into the Illinois State Board of Education room on Wednesday as many more stood outside the building to protest the state’s new indoor mask mandate in all public and nonpublic schools. “I’m so tired of hearing how resilient our kids are. Resilience is something you choose,” said Ruby Johnson,…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Central’s teachers spoke. Central’s School Board listened. Six days after voting 3-2 to ignore Gov. JB Pritzker’s mask mandate for students, teachers and staff — regardless of vaccination status — the Central School Board reversed course Wednesday night. It voted 7-0 to make masks mandatory in all four school buildings in…
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QUINCY – A smaller crowd turned out at Wednesday night’s Quincy School Board meeting a week after the Board voted to follow Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order mandating masks at Illinois Pre-K through 12 schools. And while most members of the 25 or so person crowd remained defiant and didn’t wear masks at the meeting,…
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Classes started Wednesday without incident at several schools around Adams County as students followed state mask mandates in the Payson and Quincy school districts. Students arrived at Payson Elementary School with backpacks, school supplies and smiles hiding behind their masked faces. Principal Julie Phelan met families outside and greeted students. She gently reminded a few…
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PAYSON, Ill. — Chanse Barker grew tired of the fight. His “yes” vote was part of the 5-1 vote by the Payson School Board on Monday night to amend the Return to School plan for Community Unit School District No. 1 to make masks mandatory for all students, teachers and staff — regardless of vaccination…
Read Full Article State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said she believes Governor JB Pritzker’s executive order and administrative rules give them “the upper hand” in being able to mandate masks in Illinois schools. Tracy gave an update on Facebook over the weekend and said she was appealing to the governor to “help them recognize the importance of allowing…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Central School Board voted 3-2 Thursday night to highly recommend its students wear masks for the upcoming school year, but Nikki Buehler celebrated for only a moment. “The work is not done,” she said after the meeting. “We have to get ready for the fight now.” Buehler is a parent…
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QUINCY — The Quincy School Board voted 5-2 on Wednesday morning to follow Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandate for pre K-12 students, which was also the recommendation of Quincy Superintendent Roy Webb. Sayeed Ali, Shelley Arns, Rachel Petty, Carol Nichols and LaTonya Brock voted for the mandate. Richard McNay and Jim Whitfield opposed it. About…
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By KAITLYN SCHALLHORNThe Missouri Times Hours after St. Louis said it would implement a mask mandate, Attorney General Eric Schmitt vowed to challenge the order in court. And at least one mayor has said he will not penalize businesses that choose not to enforce the mandate. Both the city and county of St. Louis said they would begin requiring masks…
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