Lake County Gazette

Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie (R-Lake Zurich) is calling out Gov. J.B. Pritzker for trying to subvert the state’s courts to maintain mandatory masking in schools.

"In his quest for power at all costs, the Governor attempted to go above the judicial system to continue to require masks in schools, a move that even his Democrat allies in the legislature wouldn’t support. Even they agree he has gone too far," McConchie said in a statement. 

Pritzker attempted to subvert a lower court’s ruling by issuing a new mask mandate through the Illinois Department of Public Health despite a recent court order allowing schools to make their own mask decisions. 

"Today, the Governor was willing to add to the confusion and chaos that has overwhelmed our schools and parents in the last several days. Fortunately for the people of Illinois, he was stopped," McConchie said. 

He failed to gain any backing from legislators with his last emergency rule attempt filed by the Illinois Department of Public Health. 

His efforts were blocked unanimously 9-0-2 on Tuesday in a session of the Joint Commission on Administrative Rules (JCAR).  

Parents across the state have been protesting locally asking schools to stop mask mandates. 

"Enough is enough. Let’s start governing this state through the rightful democratic process, not under one man’s rule and ego," McConchie said. 

Pritzker appealed to JCAR while an appellate court is considering an appeal to the order of a Sangamon County judge who ruled the mask mandate for schools unconstitutional. 

Since then around half of the state’s 859 school districts have decided to go mask optional. 

The other districts in many cases are dealing with parent groups who want to end mask mandates. 

"The administration understands that members of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules are awaiting a ruling from the appellate court on this issue," Pritzker said in a statement. 

Pritzker reiterated his reasons for the mask mandate. 

"As doctors have said time and again, masks are the best way to preserve in-person learning and keep children and staff safe," Pritzker said in a statement. 

A commentary written for the Center for infectious Disease Research and Policy  by two University of Illinois at Chicago professors said that, "cloth masks and face coverings are likely to have limited impact on lowering COVID-19 transmission, because they have minimal ability to prevent the emission of small particles ... and offer limited personal protection with respect to small particle inhalation."

Prtizker said he was determined to keep in-person learning. 

"We look forward to continuing to work with members of the General Assembly, school districts, parents, communities and all stakeholders to use the tools we have to keep in-person learning," Prtizker said. 

Lisa Katz, a  parent of a child in Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, said her son, who has autism, was granted a mask exemption but then forced to stay home due to increased exposure distances for unmasked individuals. 

Her story is one of several across the state of parents whose disabled children have not been taken into account by Prtizker’s mandates. 

Other local parents have taken to protesting schools, like last Friday’s protest at Stevenson High School.  

Quarantining youth has been linked to a significant increase in depression.

Over the course of the pandemic, emergency room visits among students for suspected suicide attempts have climbed by 31%, according to a story on the Pew Charitable Trust website.

Due to COVID upheaval, children's mental health has been proclaimed a "national emergency" by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children's Hospital Association.