Quincy Public Schools: Mask off, mask on

QUINCY – The Quincy School District appears to be on its way to following Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Pre K-12 mask mandate for Illinois schools due to an increase in COVID Delta Variant cases.

In an e-mail to his leadership team, Quincy Superintendent Roy Webb said “QPS will follow the executive order of the Governor.”

David Penn, who is the attorney for QSD 172 and other districts in West-Central Illinois, said because the Illinois State Board of Education is under the umbrella of the Governor’s Executive Order, Webb can direct the district to follow the order despite last month’s vote by the Quincy School Board to make masks optional.

But Penn also said early Friday afternoon that he anticipated a special School Board meeting to be called on the topic. And after 3 p.m. Friday, the District sent the announcement for a meeting next Wednesday at 8 a.m. in the Quincy High School cafeteria:

“Consider/Approve revision of 2021-2022 COVID Guidelines in order to comply with the Illinois Governor’s Executive Order on masks in K-12 schools.”

The next regularly scheduled Quincy School Board meeting was set for August 18.

The Community Unit School District Number 4 (Mendon) voted Wednesday night to remain mask optional, despite Pritzker’s edict. The Liberty and Camp Point school boards meet next week.