Galesburg Reporter

With Republican lawmakers like state Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) pushing back on his recently imposed universal mask mandate for all public and private schools, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is arguing that the law is on his side.

"This is a mandate,” Pritzker told the Daily Herald, adding that districts that ignore the new rule could be legally liable for any child that contracts COVID while in a school setting.

“We have legal authority to enforce this,” he added. “We're trying to get every child into school every day so they can learn properly.”

Tracy charges the governor continues to go about everything in the wrong way.

“It’s coming up on 17 months that Gov. Pritzker has been running our state with little to no input by lawmakers or the local officials who know the community best,” she said in a Facebook post. ‘“All in Illinois’ should mean bringing people to the decision-making table, not making decisions unilaterally—that’s not what inclusion or ‘all in’ looks like."

Tracy says his latest order, which also includes language mandating that all state employees working at congregate settings, such as long-term care facilities or veteran homes, also be vaccinated as of Oct. 4, is just more of the same. Pritzker’s order also extends to day cares and establishes that teachers and staff members at preschools through 12th grade will also be required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status.

In defending his actions, the governor is quick to point out that the U.S. Center for Disease Control and the American Academy for Pediatrics also stand in favor of universal masking.

 "My goal has always been to safely bring all kids back into the classroom and, crucially, keep them there,” he added. “Without these measures, we will likely see many more outbreaks."

Tracy isn’t alone in arguing that the governor’s one-man approach to things has been totally out of step.

"The governor's continued unilateral, go-it-alone approach on pandemic decision-making actively undermines the state's ability to have broadly accepted mitigation strategies," said Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Lake Zurich).

State Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) went even further, charging Pritzker’s methods "violates constitutional checks and balances, public input, and local control." In a statement, he said, "Our local school districts are closest to parents, students, and educators and are capable of deciding what is best for their respective communities.”

With children under the age of 11 still not be eligible for the vaccine, Pritzker said he had little choice in deciding to impost the mandate given the way so many school districts were flouting CDC recommendations.