Naperville School District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204 will continue following their COVID-19 protocols at its schools — including the use of masks — even as a downstate judge ruled to put a temporary restraining order on such mandates.
The two Naperville-area districts — two of the largest in the state — joined countless other school systems this weekend determining what families and employees should expect when schools reopened Monday morning.
Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow granted the order Friday to temporarily suspend Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive orders on masking and quarantining for schools, applying it to all students, staff and visitors of school buildings. Pritzker has said they will seek an immediate appeal of the decision.
On Sunday evening, the two districts issued statements clarifying intent to follow their own respective COVID-19 return-to-school plans.
“Naperville 203 will continue to implement the same layered mitigation strategies, per the guidance of the national (CDC), state (IDPH), and local (DCHD) health departments, that have allowed us to successfully navigate through the school year,” according to a District 203 statement from Superintendent Dan Bridges and the school board.
“This means we will continue to follow all of the safety protocols listed in our Return To Learn plan, which includes the requirement of masking in schools, on buses and during after-school activities; as well as the continued requirement of quarantines, when necessary, for close contacts.”
Indian Prairie Superintendent Adrian Talley issued a similar response Sunday, saying they will continue to enforce its masks wearing rules and other mitigation measures.
“The temporary restraining order will be appealed and may be stayed, meaning that the order could be placed on hold while the appeal is decided. As a result, the legal effect of the temporary restraining order is uncertain over the next couple of weeks,” Talley said.
“The district will continue to follow and implement its safe return to school plan,” he added.
Neighboring school districts East Aurora District 131 and West Aurora District 129 stayed put with their masks mandates. However, neighboring Wheaton District 200, Plainfield District 202, and Valley View District 365U either paused their mitigation measures or changed masks requirements from ‘required’ to ‘recommended.’
Both districts 203 and 204 said student parties named in the lawsuit are excluded from these requirements; all students will be required to wear masks inside school buses due to federal rules.
“The legal situation continues to be fluid,” the District 203 statement said. “We anticipate further updates as the legal process plays out over the following days and weeks, and will share this important information with the community.”
The Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium — which includes the DuPage and Will County health departments as members — recommended schools “continue to adopt a layered approach to mitigation to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 among staff, students, and the community including vaccination, masking, and isolation of ill individuals,” according to a statement issued Sunday.