Kaneland, Batavia school districts keep mask mandate in place

Kaneland School District 302 and Batavia Public School District 101 announced Sunday that they will keep their mask mandates in place, as districts across the state scramble to interpret the temporary restraining order granted by a downstate judge on Friday.

A letter emailed to Kaneland families on Sunday night stated that because the district was not involved in the lawsuit, the temporary restraining order does not apply to the district, but “only to the specific staff and students who are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuits.”

“While we work towards the day when masks are not required in schools, we are not yet at that point.  For now, we at Kaneland will continue to follow the district’s Back to School Plan for 2021-2022 and continue all current layers of mitigation strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our schools, including: requiring all students, staff, and visitors to our schools and on school buses to wear masks, close contact exclusions and the testing of unvaccinated staff,” the letter stated.

Batavia Superintendent Lisa Hichens said in an email sent to families Sunday night that the district “will not rush to any local decisions without first considering how this will impact our students and the community.”

“We hope to avoid multiple pivots, where guidelines shift back and forth, creating more confusion than cohesion,” Hichens stated in the email. “We have determined that the best way to accomplish our mission, for now, is the least disruptive path and remain with the status quo with regard to COVID mitigations, including the mask mandate.”

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.”

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, which included St. Charles School District 303 and Geneva School District 304.

St. Charles will institute a mask-optional policy beginning Tuesday, while Geneva did not announce their plans as of Sunday night. Both districts canceled school on Monday.

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.”