Illinois judge temporarily restrains state-wide school masking, quarantine rules

Jay Deegan

A Sangamon County judge struck down Gov. Pritzker’s masking, quarantine, and vaccination-or-test executive orders as well as IDPH COVID-19 emergency rules in the school setting this evening.

William Tong, Editor-in-Chief & Editorial Editor
February 4, 2022

An Illinois county court judge issued a temporary restraining order against school mask mandates and quarantine orders across the state Friday afternoon.

In a decision on four lawsuits filed against Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and more than 140 public school districts, Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow struck down several of the IDPH’s emergency rules, which expedite the process of ordering quarantine for COVID-19 infection and close contact and provide a legal framework school mask mandates.

She also restrained defendants from enforcing the governor’s mask mandate, quarantine and vaccination-or-test executive orders, the last of which applies to school employees.

As of now, Naperville District 203 administrators will consult with attorneys to determine the impact of this ruling on current COVID mitigation efforts, Superintendent Dan Bridges wrote in a Feb. 4 community message.

“We will communicate with you as soon as possible on whether or how this ruling will impact Naperville 203 students and staff,” he wrote. “Thank you in advance for your patience as we review this decision and our plans.”

Central Times will continue to update this story as it develops.

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About the Contributors

William Tong, Editor-in-Chief & Editorial Editor

William Tong is a senior at Naperville Central. Outside of writing for the Central Times, he is a captain of the Naperville Central Debate Team, member of the Naperville Central Math Team, and violinist in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. In his free time, William likes to cook, play Starcraft II, and read sappy, dramatic novels. William has no idea what he wants to go into in the future, but hopefully it doesn’t involve writing about himself in the third person.

Jay Deegan, Editor-in-Chief

Jay Deegan, a senior, is more excited than ever to be back working on the Central Times. Now in his fourth year on staff, he has previously served as the Print Managing Editor and Editorial Editor. In his free time, Jay is an avid movie watcher and a huge Bears fan (Caleb Williams is our savior). He also runs a freelance sports media business where he expresses his love of sports through all types of visual media. If you stop by the Central Times office, you'll likely find Jay there. Interested in joining the staff? Come to a meeting!