Chicago City Wire

Though the governor's mask mandates for schools have been struck down, some Catholic school parents are angry Archdiocese of Chicago schools are keeping the mandates in place. 

St. Christina parent Julie Marusar doesn't think children should be forced to wear masks.

"You know, it's frustrating at this point," Marusar said. "The fact that this court order has gone through ... I think that that needs to be taken seriously."

Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow issued a temporary restraining order Feb. 4 that prevents schools in the state from requiring masks in classrooms. The order also deems "null and void" other COVID-19 emergency orders from the governor, including vaccinations for school staff. The order was in response to a lawsuit filed by parents and teachers. 

Despite the order, 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."

Parents have begun sending students to school without masks regardless of whether the school was included in the ruling or not. Some schools, including Hinsdale Central High School where video of hundreds of maskless students was shot, have taken to isolating unmasked students into auditoriums.

Marusar said parents should have the final say when it comes to healthcare decisions for their children. "(Schools should) let the parents take this decision for our children into our own hands," Marusar said. "This is something that's going to stay with us, it's not going away any time soon, but numbers are getting better." 

Marusar isn't deterred by the Catholic schools' decision to keep the mandates.

"So we've been trying to allow our kids to go to school without the masks on and have been kind of knocked down after that decision by the principal and other teachers in the school," she said. "But we're still going to stand our ground."