New Lenox SD122 Goes Mask Optional Following Court Ruling

Editorial note: An earlier version of this article stated that New Lenox School District 122 was a plaintiff in the lawsuit. It was a defendant. The article has been corrected to reflect that.

NEW LENOX, IL — New Lenox School District 122 notified parents Sunday that its schools would be mask optional starting Monday following a judge's ruling that voided mask mandates in Illinois schools.

In a letter to parents, NLSD122 Superintendent Lori Motsch wrote that the District is "required" to move to masks and quarantines "being recommended, but not required."

Unvaccinated students are not excluded from in-person learning, Motsch told Patch via email.

Social distancing practices, handwashing/sanitizing and cleaning protocols for the District will remain in place, Motsch wrote. Masks will still be required on buses because that is a federal guideline, she wrote.

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.

NLSD122 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 NLSD122.

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.

Motsch told Patch via email that no staff has been removed because of his or her vaccination status.

In her letter to parents, Motsch called the judge's ruling a "teachable moment" for those in the District.

"On Monday, our students will once again face a change. Some students will come to school wearing masks and some will not," Motsch wrote. "In education, we call this a 'teachable' moment. We ask families to take time prior to Monday to have a conversation with their child regarding the importance of respecting the personal choices of each member of our school community. What a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about kindness and respect!"