This week, the Illinois Department of Public Health adopted the new Centers for Disease Control school mask guidelines in preparation of students returning to the classroom this fall.
According to the new rules, fully-vaccinated teachers and students are not required to wear masks in schools. As of right now, no vaccination is approved for children under 12 years old, meaning those students will be required to wear masks.
Just this week, nearly 250 superintendents sent a letter to the ISBE and the Governor’s office this week, to “request local control in the implementation of COVID-19 safety measures and protocols utilized within each school district.”
This letter follows a similar effort from the members of the Large Unit District Association (LUDA), which includes more than 50 Illinois schools with enrollments of more than 3,500 students. In their letter, LUDA members requested updated guidance from the state, and that “social distancing, quarantining, and masking guidelines in schools be consistent with health guidelines of Phase 5 as applied to other venues in Illinois.”
Currently ISBE has placed one school district on probation, following the local school board’s vote to make masks recommended but not required.
State Senator Neil Anderson says, “As the mask tyranny continues across our state, it should be left up to local school districts and parents on if their children should be required to wear masks. What was released by the CDC Friday is merely a recommendation. Local control and involvement by parents in this science experiment is a must when being faced with government bureaucrats forcing regulation on our children and educators.”
Senator Anderson says, this is a situation he’s heard a lot about in his district and will continue to advocate for local control.