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COVID-19 mitigation orders

Court says schools can still act independently to require masks, vaccines

February 18, 2022

By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Schools in Illinois are free to enforce mask mandates and other COVID-19 mitigations on their own, but the emergency rules that the Illinois Department of Public Health issued requiring schools to enforce those mandates are no longer in force. That was the decision issued late Thursday by the 4th District Court […]

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State, opponents urge court ruling on school mandates despite legislative committee vote

February 16, 2022

PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The question of whether K-12 schools in Illinois can continue to enforce mask mandates and other COVID-19 mitigations remained unclear Wednesday as all three branches of state government tried to grapple with it. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that his executive order requiring those measures remained in place, at […]

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Masks a legal, political issue: Schools caught in clash between court order, governor’s mandate

February 16, 2022

Some students are wearing masks, some are not in Woodstock School District 200 as they’re caught in the middle of a legal and political fight playing out in Illinois. Six parents showed up at last week’s Board of Education meeting to discuss the district’s new “masks optional” policy in light of a court order that […]

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Legislative panel suspends COVID-19 mitigations in schools; Pritzker continues to encourage masks in schools

February 15, 2022

By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A legislative panel on Tuesday voted to suspend the latest version of COVID-19 mitigations for public schools, saying in part that those rules were still being litigated in a state appellate court.The Joint Committee on Administrative rules voted 9-0, with two members voting “present,” to object to the […]

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Pritzker, Ezike address plan to lift mask mandate by Feb. 28, later for schools

February 9, 2022

By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – If hospitalizations for COVID-19 continue to decline for the rest of the month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to lift his executive order that mandates face coverings indoors by Feb. 28. The plan does not apply to schools. It’s unclear what level of rise in hospitalizations could lead the […]

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Pritzker: ‘Stay tuned’ for new guidance on masks; decisions from other Democratic-led states, Illinois court ruling ramp up pressure

February 8, 2022

By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinoisans should stay tuned for an announcement on the state’s indoor mask mandate, Gov. J.B. 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 […]

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Sangamon County judge says emergency COVID rules were improper; state appealing order

February 7, 2022

By PETER HANCOCK
 Capitol News Illinois 
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration are asking a state appellate court to set aside a lower court order from late Friday that invalidated the mask and vaccine mandates that the state imposed last year for public schools. On Friday, Sangamon County […]

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Court order leads D-200 to make masks optional for students, staff

February 6, 2022

Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com Woodstock District 200 schools have adopted a “masks optional” policy for students and staff after an Illinois judge  granted a temporary restraining order against an executive order of Gov. J.B. Pritzker that mandated masks and procedures for quarantining close contacts in Illinois schools.Although Pritzker has voted to appeal the ruling, the restraining […]

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