North Egypt News

State Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) is praising a Sangamon County judge's ruling that at least temporarily ends Gov. J.B. Pritzker's COVID-19 mask, vaccine, testing, and quarantine mandates for schools.

“Last week’s ruling is a victory for our students, teachers, and school districts in general," the legislator said in a statement." I have long advocated that these public health decisions  be left to local officials. I support wearing a mask if you want to, but I don’t think the government has the right to dictate that you do."

Jacobs said he is, "Happy for our school kids, who for more than 700 days have not had a ‘normal’ day of school. It is my hope that the governor would follow  the lead of other states, and drop his unilateral mandates related to the virus."

Judge Raylene Grischow sided with parents who sued 146 school districts over the state’s mask mandate, plus staff who sued another 21 districts over Pritzker’s vaccine requirement, WGLT reported. In those cases, staff who declined  to get vaccinated also objected to the alternative regular COVID testing requirement, claiming it was tantamount to a forced medical  procedure, the story said.

Pritzker called Grischow’s temporary restraining order “out of step with the vast majority of legal  analysis in Illinois and across the nation,” and filed a motion to stay the restraining order, WIFR reported. The governor warned the ruling could force schools to convert to remote learning, WGLT reported.

But Jacobs said Pritzker should drop the mandate policies and his appeal.

"The people of Illinois have had enough," the legislator said. "It is long past time that we unmask our kids and get them back to a normal footing in our schools.”