State Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) | facebook.com/mccombieforilli
State Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) | facebook.com/mccombieforilli
State Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Sterling) wants to make sure parents are heard in the ongoing school masks debate.
“There is a lot of confusion for school tomorrow,” McCombie posted on Facebook after Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow issued a temporary restraining order halting Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask and testing mandate. “For those that want to send their child with a mask that is your right to do so... for those of you that do not here is some advice from my friends at Awake IL.”
McCombie posted a link to the Awake Illinois website that suggested parents have their children carry a copy of the temporary restraining order in their backpacks, and fill out a form to document parental wishes.
Pritzker has vowed to appeal the ruling, with Attorney General Kwame Raoul now seeking an expedited action from the Fourth District Illinois Appellate Court.
The governor has warned removing the mandates will cause COVID-19 infection rates to spike, adding the mandates were put in place out of an abundance of caution for students and staff.
Back in August, the governor announced all schools would be required to mask all students and staff, reversing an earlier decision he made where he said the decision would be up to the district.
School districts in the state are now trying to determine how the ruling will impact them. Back in August, Dunlap Superintendent Dr. Scott Dearman argued the “one size fits all” plan of masking was discouraging.
In the wake of Grischow’s 29-page order, Dearman put out a public statement asserting the district was in the process of reviewing the decision and how it would affect the district.
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