District 70 Students, Staff Will Be Required To Wear Masks

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — Students and faculty members will be required to wear masks while at school and at the District 70 office after school officials cited rising coronavirus cases and other factors for their decision to change direction on the district’s mask policy.

Superintendent Matt Barbini informed district parents of the decision in a letter on Tuesday and included a recent change in guidance from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention for the reversal. He called the decision to change course “necessary” in the letter.

The change comes a day before Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to announce a statewide mask mandate for all preschool-12 students on Wednesday, regardless of whether they attend a public or private school. In addition to the CDC, the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health have recommended that students and teachers wear masks regardless of vaccination status.

"My first priority as your superintendent is to create and maintain a safe learning environment at our schools," Barbini wrote to parents in the letter. "I believe that requiring masks until such time as the CDC and other regulatory agencies (IDPH and ISBE) provides guidance to the contrary is doing just that."

District 70 had previously announced that masks would be strongly recommended but not required. The school district is scheduled to return to the classroom on Aug. 19.

Previous to that, school administrators announced that students at District 70’s four elementary schools would be required to wear masks as would unvaccinated students and staff members at Highland Middle School.

The new mask policy will be discussed at a special school board meeting on Monday.

Despite the two recent changes, Barbini asked parents to think of the safety of students first before allowing emotions to effect district students' experience.

"Please do not let your personal views on masking and other necessary mitigation measures negatively impact the school experience for all of our children and the dedicated staff who serve them," the superintendent wrote.