Starting on Monday, Feb. 28, DGS students will have the option to not wear a mask to school for the first time in two years. This new policy is a result of a decision by the District 99 school board after Governor J.B. Pritker’s state-wide mask mandate was rendered null. An appeal to reinstate the mask mandate was denied by the Illinois appellate courts on Feb. 17.

Timeline of Events Leading Up to Decision:
On Friday, Feb. 4, a judge in Sangamon County, Illinois granted a temporary restraining order on the mask mandate created by Pritzker. The parents who were suing Pritzker and the Illinois Board of Education were arguing that there was a lack of due process in the original mandate.

AP Government teacher Laura Rodey has a degree in law, and she was willing to help break down the lawsuit to help students understand it.

“In the mask lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that the illegal mask mandate and contact tracing / quarantine requirements were causing immediate harm and needed to stop while the lawsuit was being resolved. The judge in the case agreed and issued a TRO [temporary restraining order],” Rodey said.

Rodey also detailed how District 99 parents were involved in the lawsuit.

“Hundreds of parents joined together to file one lawsuit against their students’ districts, Governor Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education. Two of these parents have students at Downers Grove North, so District 99 is one of about 140 districts that were named in the lawsuit,” Rodey said.

The TRO left the decision about masks up to each individual school board, and after a 5-1 vote from the District 99 school board, it was decided that DGS and DGN will transition to a mask optional policy on Feb. 28.

Even while school boards across the state were thrown into chaos while trying to decide what their mask guidelines will be, the temporary restraining order on Pritzker’s mandate was being appealed in the Illinois appellate courts. If the appeal passed, the statewide mask mandate would go back into effect, and the decisions of each individual school board would be thrown out. As of Feb. 17, the appeal was denied.

How This Affects District 99:
District 99 Superintendent Dr. Hank Thiele plans to follow the guidelines that are set in place, whether they be from the District 99 school board or the state of Illinois.

“This is a matter of following policy and rules as interpreted by the Board’s attorneys, and it is my legal responsibility as a Superintendent to follow those rules. I greatly appreciate when students are respectful and follow these rules as well,” Thiele said.

Much like the rest of the country, there seems to be much disagreement among the student body about the decision of the board and the changing mandates.

“Personally I’ll probably still wear my mask,” senior Luke Bowers said.

Other students disagree, and feel that they should have the choice to wear a mask or not.

“I think it’s good that we don’t have to wear a mask, I think we should have the freedom to choose,” freshman Kate Dziuwinski said.

Student representative for the school board and senior Scarlett O’Hara acknowledged the difference in opinion among the student body during the Feb. 14 board meeting, and she pushed for unity and respect.

“I think… there is no right choice in this; either way, people are going to be upset about the choice that’s made, so I think… the biggest thing is that we have to respect both sides,” O’Hara said.