Frankfort SD157-C Mask Optional Following Court Ruling

Editorial note: An earlier version of this article stated that Frankfort School District 157-C was a plaintiff in the lawsuit. It was a defendant. The article has been corrected to reflect that.

FRANKFORT, IL — Frankfort School District 157-C has decided that its schools would be mask optional starting Monday following a judge's ruling that voided mask mandates in Illinois schools.

Frankfort SD157-C Superintendent Doug Wernet notified parents Sunday of the mask optional decision following an emergency Frankfort 157-C Board of Education meeting Saturday.

Wernet wrote that there are two exceptions to the mask optional policy: on school buses — where the wearing of masks is a federal guideline — and during Illinois Elementary School Association sponsored athletic events.

Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 must still isolate from school, per Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines, Wernet wrote.

The District will provide child-sized KN95 masks for families who request them, Wernet wrote, as well as for staff.

Related:

• Judge Blocks School Mask Mandate, Voids COVID-19 Emergency Orders
• Lincoln-Way D210 Goes Mask Optional Following Court Ruling

Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow ruled Friday that the Pritzker administration had, with emergency orders the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health issued on Sept. 17, 2021, improperly delegated authority that state lawmakers had granted to public health officials. Grischow's ruling is a temporary restraining order against those mandates.

Frankfort SD157-C was one of about 150 other defendants in that case. Although her ruling only directly applies to those plaintiffs named in the case, Grischow noted that "Any non-named Plaintiffs and School Districts throughout this State may govern themselves accordingly," leaving the door open for all school districts to enact similar policies as Frankfort SD157-C.

Also as part of her ruling, Grischow said unvaccinated school staff who do not want to be required to be vaccinated or take weekly COVID-19 tests must be afforded due process.

Wernet told patch via email that "The District has never removed any staff member from their duties for being unvaccinated."