Will County school districts to reverse policies after Pritzker’s mask mandate to fight COVID-19

Gov. JB Pritzker’s mask mandate for all Illinois schools came after weeks of intense pressure on local officials who were deciding for themselves what policy to institute before students return to class.

At multiple school board meetings in Will County, as well as across the state, parents and other community members came to voice their opposition to any mask mandates, sometimes citing false information about the severity of COVID-19.

Some school districts already had determined they would not require students to wear masks, but that was before Pritzker’s new mandate, which forced them to shift gears.

“We are going to comply,” Plainfield District 202 spokesman Tom Hernandez said.

Late last month, the District 202 Board of Education voted to make mask wearing optional for its more than 25,000 students.

In a message to parents, District 202 Superintendent Lane Abrell said the mask mandate “is especially important now as the number of people getting the COVID-19 delta variant continues to rise.”

The rolling positivity rate in Will County is nearing 6% after hovering around 1% a little over a month ago, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data.

Before Pritzker announced his mask mandate, Abrell told The Herald-News he thought it was “beyond frustrating” that such a decision wasn’t coming from the state government.

“It would just be more clear-cut,” Abrell said.

Abrell added that making students wear masks has become “an emotionally charged issue.” He had to explain the district’s policy at that school board meeting last month in front of dozens of riled up attendees.

A similar scene played out earlier this week at the Lockport Township High School District 205 board meeting. Superintendent Robert McBride was interrupted multiple times by comments from the crowd in attendance as he explained the district’s policy to require masks.

“I’d also ask everyone to keep in mind that we are presently right now in a very deep struggle as adults about teaching students how adults solve problems and so that’s important to remember as well,” McBride said during the meeting.

A majority of the District 205 board voted to approve McBride’s proposal to require all students to wear masks if transmission of coronavirus in the area was substantial, which it has been.

Still, other districts like Lincoln-Way District 210 and the Diocese of Joliet had opted to not require masks, but then had to reverse course after Pritzker’s announcement. Both said in social media posts this week they would comply with the governor’s order.

“The safety of our students remains a top priority, along with providing academic excellence guided by Catholic values,” the Diocese said in a Facebook post. “To comply with the mandate, we will require masks for all students, teachers, staff and visitors in our Catholic schools for the 2021-22 academic year. We pray for those affected by the coronavirus, and we pray for an end to this pandemic.”

The political polarization on masks and other facets of the pandemic also was evident in Will County.

The Joliet Township Republican Organization has been active on social media arguing against mask mandates. Tim Hendricks, the chairman of the organization, said in an interview that families should make the choice on how to keep kids safe.

“These children have the right and should have the opportunity to return to school normally,” Hendricks said. “They deserve to do so with the option (to wear a mask).”

Even as dissent continues, the virus is still spreading as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has designated Will County as having high transmission, meaning it’s recording at least 100 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.

The rise in cases across the state also resulted in more hospitalizations. The state recorded more than 1,200 COVID-19 patients as of Wednesday, the most since May.

For more information, including where to find the nearest COVID-19 vaccine clinic, visit willcountyhealth.org.