ILLINOIS, USA — A statewide mask mandate in Illinois ends on Feb. 28, but the battle over masks in Illinois schools continues to heat up.
On Tuesday, the Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, a committee of state lawmakers, voted against extending Governor J.B. Pritzker's mask mandate for schools. It essentially suspended the rule.
An extension would've required districts to enforce it, despite a recent judge's ruling that struck down the mandate.
Governor J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday that masking in schools is not forever.
"So we want to make sure that environment is protected and we're watching very closely as the hospitalizations go down and we remove masks for everyone else," Pritzker said. "Eventually we'll be able to do that there."
Several Metro East school districts have gone mask optional because of the judge's ruling.
RELATED: Amid confusion about Illinois masks, O'Fallon Township High School District makes masks optional
RELATED: Metro East schools make policy changes after Illinois judge's ruling blocks school mask requirements
In a letter sent to families late Tuesday, the Granite City School District announced it would be halting all COVID-19 mitigations due to the vote by the Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.
"Our legal counsel has advised the School Board and myself that there is no longer a legal basis to enforce these emergency rules because they were not renewed at the state level," the letter said. "Without a court order, or an order from the local health department, Illinois schools cannot require employee vaccinations/testing, student and employee masking, or exclusion of students and employees (positive or close contacts) from school."
