Three children in Effingham County can’t be forced to wear masks without an official quarantine order from the county health department, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Later in the day, a different judge enjoined an entire school district from requiring masks without a court order.

The attorney who brought the cases anticipates more such cases across the state.

Earlier this month, attorney Thomas DeVore won several cases on behalf of parents of school kids being kept from in-person learning because of possible COVID-19 exposure.

Courts in multiple counties said only county health departments can issue quarantine orders.

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A state lawmaker says residents are demanding clear goalposts to aim for to relax COVID-19 mitigations such as mask mandates.

Nearing 20 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, executive orders from Gov. J.B. Pritzker on a variety of things – ranging from economic restrictions to masks in schools – have gone unchecked by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly.

Republican state Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, said that has to change.

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Illinois Republicans want Gov. J.B. Pritzker to veto the legislative maps Democrats passed this week. Maps drafted in May were passed by majority Democrats at the statehouse.

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Pritzker mandates vaccines and masks indoors, state lawmakers prepare to revise maps and more

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A school board member's medical license threatened over mask stance with sustained objections to the state's mask mandate in schools. There are also challenges to the state and federal eviction moratorium. And, the Illinois State Fair is ongoing.

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A private K-12 school that announced a mask-optional policy for a return to class had been sanctioned by the Illinois State Board of Education. ISBE says schools must require, not recommend, masks in schools.

Amid concerns of COVID-19, Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst made the mask-optional announcement this week through a video from Superintendent Matthew Davidson.

“It’s just worth noting that the issue of masks in schools is still categorically a recommendation, not a requirement from the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention],” Davidson said.

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Weeks after some school districts decided to make masks optional to start the year, the CDC changed its guidance on mask use.

Now Illinois’ governor is mandating masks for schools and daycares, and threatening action for those that don’t comply. Some state lawmakers say a year and a half in, they should be involved, but aren’t.

Last month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said masking requirements were up to schools. The Illinois State Board of Education said schools must be back to in-person learning after the COVID-19 remote learning and hybrid schooling through the last school year led to learning loss among many students.

While there won’t be social distancing requirements, masks are mandated, even those playing sports, despite vaccination status, the governor announced Wednesday during a news conference in Chicago.

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker is evaluating whether to require state employees under his control to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but mandatory vaccinations are not politically popular.

Since the state has been tracking the Delta variant in February, 716 cases have been reported. Pritzker said Wednesday he’s considering more COVID-19 mitigations.

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Gov J.B. Pritzker announced Monday that he will be running for re-election in 2022.

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Illinois in Focus Ep 147: School determining mask rules as parents prepare for checks

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