Prairie State Wire

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is leaving little doubt it’s totally on board with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandate for all public and private schools across the state.

“The executive order has the force of law,” the group posted on Twitter. “ISBE will provide districts with every support to understand, communicate, and comply with the order. However, noncompliance is not an option."

Flexing his executive muscle, Pritzker moved to impose his order earlier this month as most students prepare to return to the classroom.  The measure also requires all staff and visitors to wear masks indoors in all P-12 schools. Pritzker moved to act after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics both recommended it.

More recently, state Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala penned a letter to school district superintendents across the state aimed at providing clarity about how it plans to enforce the governor’s mandate.

“Local boards of education, schools, and school districts do not have the authority to deny the Governor’s Executive Order,” the letter reads. “Doing so not only puts students’ health and safety at risk but also opens the district to extraordinary legal liability – potentially without any insurance to cover damages. The Illinois State Board of Education has and will use its regulatory authority, pursuant to 23 Ill Admin. Code 1.20, to ensure school districts protect students and staff.”

To that end, Ayala said ISBE plans to work with school districts, but be firm when leaders feel they need to.  

“A district would have multiple opportunities to remedy the deficiencies that present a health hazard or a danger to students or staff before becoming unrecognized,” she said in the letter. “A district would first have its recognition status changed to “On Probation” and would be asked to submit a corrective action plan. Failure to address the deficiencies would lead to nonrecognition, meaning total loss of access to state funding and loss of the school’s ability to engage in any Illinois High School Association and Illinois Elementary School Association athletic competitions.”

Ayala asked school officials to spread the word about the mandate.

“We have so many important issues to face as we start the school year, and we want to start the year off with positivity for all our students,” she said. “I ask that you respect that there is a mask requirement, communicate this to your school communities and celebrate the return to in-person learning.”