Chicago City Wire

An Illinois Circuit Court ruling is giving parents hope that mask mandates in schools might not be around much longer. But with an appeal likely, some schools are still abiding by the governor's order.

Some parents have been concerned about the mandates, not just because the decision about their children is being taken out of the hands of parents, but because of the long-term effects on the children.

“I know people say, ‘Oh, they're adapting, they're they're resilient,’” said Anna Zordan, a teacher and a parent of a child at St. Cajetan’s in Chicago, told Chicago City Wire. “And I think we don't want them to adapt. We don't want that. We don’t.”

Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow issued a temporary restraining order Friday, ruling that Gov. J.B. Pritzker overstepped his authority with the mask mandate in schools. The order also deems “null and void” other COVID-19 emergency orders Pritzker has issued. The order came about parents and teachers filed suit. Oral arguments were last month.

“Statutory rights have attempted to be bypassed through the issuance of executive orders and emergency rules … This type of evil is exactly what the law was intended to constrain," Grischow wrote, according to the Center Square. An appeal is expected.

Even after the ruling was issued, some schools have been loathe to remove the mandates. Chicago Catholic Schools Superintendent Greg Richmond indicated that allowing students to attend class without a mask is not a good idea as it "would create confusion and disruption in our schools." 

Brian Burch of Catholic Vote said that given that, parents should remove their children from the classrooms of Illinois Catholic schools where officials are breaching state law by forcing children to wear masks. He is the leader of one of the nation's major Catholic activist organizations.

Consider the toll it is taking on the children, Zordan said.

“There're lots of studies, that and lots of people that think that that this is affecting their mental health in a negative way,” she said. “And it's not it's not worth it. They’re not even at all high-risk.”

As mask fatigue has taken hold, a growing number of parents have begun sending students to school without masks, regardless of whether the school was included in the ruling or not. But that is putting the children in an awkward position. One parent told DuPage Policy Journal that Hinsdale Central High School have moved maskless students into auditoriums where they are kept isolated.