Kendall County Sheriff's Office: Statement About The Recent Court Decision Regarding School Mask Mandates

Press release from Kendall County Sheriff's Office:

02/08/2022 3:00 PM

For Immediate Release

For Immediate Release

Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird and Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis Issue Joint Statement About the Recent Court Decision Regarding School Mask Mandates

Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird and Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis Issue Joint Statement About the Recent Court  Decision Regarding School Mask Mandates

Kendall County, IL (February 8, 2022, 3:00 PM)

Late Friday afternoon, Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) regarding the State of Illinois’ face mask requirements in schools, student/staff exclusion rules for quarantine as “close contacts”, and staff vaccination/testing requirements.  Over the past few days, local school districts have made various decisions in response to this TRO. 

This court ruling and the local school districts’ response to it have prompted local parents to seek remedies through the Kendall County States Attorney’s Office and the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office.  However, the TRO is a remedy issued by a court in civil court litigation.  Kendall County is not a party in this civil litigation, and the Kendall County State’s Attorney is not representing any of the parties named in these lawsuits. 

The decisions being made by our local school districts and how they interpret the TRO for their respective school districts is not a criminal matter that would require enforcement by the Kendall County Sheriff and/or the Kendall County State’s Attorney.  The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office will respond to service calls that are criminal in nature, but, at this time, the court has entered no order authorizing the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office to proceed with any type of enforcement action regarding the TRO.  Also, as indicated in our prior press releases, the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office and the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office do not have the authority to criminally enforce the State of Illinois’ mask mandate.

If you have any further questions regarding your school district’s policies, you should contact your local school district’s administration, or, if you are in need of legal assistance, you have the right to seek legal representation.

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Contact:          Deputy Dan Briars #95

Email:             dbriars@co.kendall.il.us

This press release was produced by Kendall County Sheriff's Office. The views expressed here are the author’s own.