District 225, Not Named In Lawsuit, Will Continue Mask Policy

GLENVIEW, IL — School officials in Glenbrook High School District 225 said there are no changes in mask requirements for all on district campuses and vaccine requirements for staff despite a ruling by a judge in Sangamon County Friday. District 225 was not one of 145 school districts named in the Austin v. Pritzker lawsuit brought by parents across the state last year.

Changes in policy that make masks optional went into effect for some districts in the state Monday in response to a Sangamon County judge issuing a temporary restraining order declaring that certain emergency rules adopted last year by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education are void. The ruling means that students who do not want to wear a mask and unvaccinated school staff who do not want to be required to be vaccinated or take weekly COVID-19 tests must be afforded due process.

RELATED: Judge Blocks School Mask Mandate, Voids COVID-19 Emergency Orders

"The ruling applies only to individuals within districts named in the lawsuits, not District 225, and is neither a blanket change to state-mandated COVID-19 mitigation strategies, nor a ruling on the effectiveness of the mitigation measures," District 225 Superintendent Charles Johns said in a statement. "The Attorney General has appealed the ruling, and further litigation is expected immediately. This issue will not be resolved until the Appellate Court and/or Illinois Supreme Court rules. The Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation was renewed Friday night and the Cook County Department of Public Health directives are still in place. The District will continue to review how this and future rulings may affect our community."

Guidelines in District 225 include universal masking, a minimum of five days of isolation for those who test positive for COVID-19, a minimum of five days of quarantine for unvaccinated individuals who experience a close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual, weekly testing for students participating in high-risk activities, and weekly testing for unvaccinated staff.