Johnsburg families turn out to oppose mask mandate

Johnsburg School District 12 Board member Jim Barrett made a lengthy speech Tuesday explaining that he, like most of the parents who spoke during public comments, opposes the mask mandate for everyone in schools put in place this month by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

But Barrett and his fellow board members also said their hands were tied by the governor's executive order and are unwilling to take legal and financial risks to challenge it or explicitly set a differing policy on face coverings.

The possibility that state officials could strip District 12 of its accreditation if it did not follow Pritzker's mask requirement is too great to not comply with the order, Barrett said.

About a dozen people addressed the school board, and almost all of them took issue with the mask mandate. Some acknowledged board members had little choice in the mask matter and applauded their decision last month to allow masks to be optional for students regardless of vaccination status.

State officials have shown they are serious about penalizing school systems that defy the order for students to be masked in schools.

Since last week, the Illinois State Board of Education has put 21 public school districts on probation for flouting the mandate, the Daily Herald reported Wednesday.