Geneva School District 304 cancels Monday classes to work on COVID-19 mitigation plan

Geneva School District 304 has canceled classes, tomorrow, Monday, Feb. 7 to allow school district staff to work on a COVID-19 mitigation plan in response to a court ruling issued Friday.

In a statement posted to the district’s website, district officials announced there will be no in-person or virtual learning for students, and the day will be made up at the end of the school year.

On Friday, Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow issued a temporary restraining order declaring Gov. JB Pritzker’s emergency order requiring face coverings and COVID-19 testing protocols in all Illinois schools “null and void.”

Pritzker imposed the indoor mask mandate for schools in August following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recommends “everyone in K-12 schools should wear a mask indoors, including teachers, staff, students and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.”

The governor’s order at the time was issued as the delta variant spread throughout the country and schools looked for students to return fully in person for the school year.

Many argued the governor overstepped the powers of his office and infringed on personal freedoms. When he announced the order, the governor said it was meant to slow the spread of the virus and keep others with significant health concerns in and out of schools safe from serious illness.

The judge’s order on Friday stems from a consolidated lawsuit filed by Greenville attorney Thomas DeVore on behalf of parents of students and affecting more than 100 Illinois school districts.

Arguments in the case were made before the court in early and mid-January.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Saturday he had filed an “expedited appeal” of the court ruling with the Illinois Appellate Court for the Fourth District in Springfield which has jurisdiction over Sangamon County.

“This decision sends the message that all students do not have the same right to safely access schools and classrooms in Illinois, particularly if they have disabilities or other health concerns,” Raoul said in a statement. “The court’s misguided decision is wrong on the law, demonstrates a misunderstanding of Illinois emergency injunction proceedings and has no relation to the record that was before the court.”