Gov. J.B. Pritzker promised to respect local school boards and private school autonomy, until too few were doing what he wanted. So he reversed himself, mandating masks for both private and public Illinois schools.
Nearly 17,000 Illinoisans told the General Assembly in May they opposed a proposal that would have given the state more authority over private schools, and lawmakers listened.
Then Gov. J.B Pritzker essentially backed those parents when he said masks and other COVID-19 protocol should be a local decision, left to local school leaders being advised by local health departments.
“Families should be involved in making decisions for their own families. And, school districts and school boards will make decisions for the schools within their districts,” Pritzker said July 17.
But that was before so many school districts were exercising their freedom to choose and making what Pritzker considered to be the wrong decision.
“Far too few school districts have chosen to follow the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prescription for keeping students and staff safe,” Pritzker said during a press conference Aug. 4. “Given the CDC’s strong recommendation, I had hoped that a state mask requirement in schools wouldn’t be necessary, but it is.”
So when Illinois students return to school in a few weeks, they will be wearing masks, by order of the governor. His statewide mask mandate covers all students, staff and visitors in both private and public schools, regardless of vaccination status.
Read more from Illinois Policy here.