January 20, 2022
Dear Barrington 220 Community:
Many of you are aware that there are two different lawsuits in Illinois regarding COVID mitigations and school districts. Barrington 220 is one of many school district defendants named in one of these lawsuits. The lawsuit, Austin v. Pritzker, was brought by parents across the state against 145 school districts and the State regarding the mask mandate and the requirement that districts exclude close contacts from school. Both lawsuits are seeking class certification which, if granted, would apply the outcome of the case to all students and staff in a school district instead of only the named defendants.
Arguments for both lawsuits were heard this week by Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow on motions for a temporary restraining order (TRO) that would block enforcement of Gov. Pritzker’s Executive Order requiring masks in schools. Judge Grischow took the information under advisement, stating that the earliest a decision would be issued on the TRO is Friday, January 28. Therefore, Barrington 220 will continue to utilize all current mitigation strategies.
If the ruling were to overturn both the state and local school board’s authority to require mitigations and grant class certification, Barrington 220 will be in a position in which it cannot enforce masks in school for students or staff members. If this were to occur, due to the current high transmission rates, Barrington 220 will continue to strongly encourage our students, staff and community to wear masks in schools and will evaluate other measures to increase social distancing in an attempt to prevent the spread of COVID.
Further, if the ruling overturned the authority of the state and that of local school boards to require mitigations, there would likely be an immediate appeal in which the judge or the appellate court could order a stay and keep current mitigations in place. If this were to happen, or if the judge's ruling upholds the governor's mask mandate, Barrington 220 will continue to adhere to universal masking inside our school buildings.
We will let you know as soon as we have additional information. We appreciate your continuous efforts to ensure our students have every chance to continue to grow socially, emotionally, and academically.
