Peoria Standard

Illinois State Sen. Win Stoller (R-Germantown Hills) said Gov. J.B. Pritzker's decision to end mask mandates for restaurants and offices but not schools is "based on what other Democrat governors are doing.”

“To outside observers, it seems his decisions are now based more on what other Democrat Governors are doing than any specific metric," Stoller said. "While these states have included schools in their phasing out of indoor mask mandates, our Governor has chosen not to include schools in his plan and has yet to disclose what scientific evidence has led him to make that choice.”

Stoller slammed Pritzker for failing to consult the General Assembly on COVID-19 measures.

“With today’s announcement, the Governor has once again decided to sideline the General Assembly and continue his go-it-alone approach when it comes to COVID-19 mitigations," Stoller said. "Unlike his previous ‘phased’ approach to mitigations, the Governor now appears to be making his unilateral decisions without explaining and justifying what science and data he needs to see to make changes.”

“We are now two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, and instead of being open with the public and legislators about his decision-making process, the Governor has become even more secretive. It’s time for the Governor to be transparent with the people of Illinois and allow outside stakeholders to be a part of the process.”

Pritzker announced Wednesday afternoon that he could lift the mask mandate for places of business on Feb. 28, but that he would still require them for schools. That's five days after a Sangamon County judge declared his statewide "emergency" school mandate school rules "null and void.”

“Statutory rights have attempted to be bypassed through the issuance of Executive Orders and Emergency Rules … This type of evil is exactly what the law was intended to constrain," she wrote.

Since, more than 200 public school districts across Illinois and most Catholic ones-- outside of those in Cook and Lake Counties-- have already announced they are "mask optional.”

In Peoria County, mask-optional districts include Dunlap CUSD 323 and Elmwood CUSD 322.

Dan Montgomery, President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, said Saturday that students going mask-less is "threat to public health" and that it prevents "normalcy at school.”

“We believe that what the judge ordered today is legally faulty and a threat to public health and, most importantly, a threat to keeping Illinois schools open for in-person learning," Montgomery said. "Our children and their families need certainty and some normalcy at school, not legal wrangling managed by a small minority of citizens."