Prairie State Wire

State Sen. (R-Xenia) and gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey supports school choice and masks being optional in classrooms.

"We support school choice and options for parents to ensure they can provide their child with the best possible education," Bailey wrote in a Feb. 14 Twitter post. "One where they’re taught to chase their dreams and find success. One where masks are optional and possibilities are endless."

Prairie State Wire reports that Bailey took to Twitter to voice his support following Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow's decision to put a temporary restraining order in place for schools named in a lawsuit focused on the mask mandate and youths.

"As your next Governor, I will repeal all of Pritzker’s mandates. You should make these decisions, not government," Bailey wrote in a Feb. 6 Twitter post.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has stated that he plans to file an appeal to contest the judge's ruling.

"The grave consequence of this misguided decision is that schools in these districts no longer have sufficient tools to keep students and staff safe while COVID-19 continues to threaten our communities – and this may force schools to go remote," Pritzker said in a statement, according to WCIA News. "This shows yet again that the mask mandate and school exclusion protocols are essential tools to keep schools open and everyone safe."

Bailey joined a press conference last week to again speak on the mask mandate issue, according to The Pantagraph. He pledged that if elected, masks would be optional, and that other states without mask mandates are "flourishing."

Bailey has also criticized the vaccine mandate for educators. 

"It's not about a vaccine, it's about freedom," Bailey wrote in a Dec. 16 tweet. "The mandate candidate, @JBPRitzker is acting like a tyrant & overstepping his power. These decisions should be between you & your doctor, and the government is not your doctor. Keep standing for freedom. #twill."