A lawsuit has been filed in Clinton County over the Governor’s mask mandate for students and teachers.
The parent of a Breese Grade School District student claims Governor J.B. Pritzker does not have the legal authority to enforce or punish schools for not following the mandate.
Greenville Attorney Tom DeVore is representing the parent, Jeremy Pate.
“This is a question of whether the executive officer has been given the authority to strip the power away from the local school district. Does he have the ability to say regardless of what you think is best, school district, your governing body is subordinate to me and I’m going to take that power away from you and do what I want. That’s the question and it is a huge question.”
DeVore feels his position that the Governor does not have that power is bolstered by a pending bill in Springfield that has not been acted upon that would give the Governor that power.
In response to the lawsuit, Pritzker continued to emphasize the importance of requiring all students and staff to wear a mask if they are vaccinated or not.
“This is a vital part of keeping people safe and healthy across the state. Not just the students and the people who work in our schools but also the families that live in the community. This is why it’s so important.”
And Pritzker says this is no different than enforcing other guidelines in the school.
“School Districts have been enforcing dress codes for many years so they are expected to do the same thing they have been doing for literally decades. I expect people will do the right thing nonetheless by telling people to follow the rules.”
Pritzker notes the attorney handling the lawsuit has failed in all the other lawsuits he has filed during the pandemic.
