Three private schools in the suburbs punished for defiance on masks
Illinois education officials have revoked the recognition of three suburban private schools, saying school leaders defied Gov. J.B. Pritzker's order requiring masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Illinois State Board of Education officials took the step on Wednesday, spokeswoman Jaclyn Matthews said in an email Thursday.
Bethany Lutheran School in Naperville, Lutheran School of St. Luke in Itasca and Trinity Christian School in Shorewood are three of the four private schools throughout the state to be sanctioned by the state education agency because of mask mandate defiance, according to ISBE records. The other is a Lutheran school in Mattoon.
Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst were among the first to lose recognition but were reinstated last week after school officials promised to require masks indoors. Another Christian school in Energy in Williamson County also reversed course and agreed to require masks after the state board revoked recognition Friday.
“We do not take this action lightly,” ISBE Director Carmen Ayala wrote in the revocation letter to the schools. “The purpose of the universal indoor masking requirement is to ensure that all students can safely attend school in-person this fall. We know that consistent and correct mask use is the simplest, most effective way to keep students safely in school, where they can learn and grow to their fullest potential.”
Also, 32 public school districts are “on probation” with the state board for defying the state's school mask mandate that was ordered by Pritzker on Aug. 4 for all students and adults inside schools, Matthews noted. None of those schools are in the suburbs or Chicago, according to the ISBE report.
Loss of recognition status comes with stiff penalties such as ineligibility for IHSA and Illinois Elementary School Association sports, exclusion from the Invest in Kids tax scholarship program and the loss of state acknowledgment of graduates' diplomas.
“We will continue to act swiftly with both nonpublic and public schools that have confirmed they are not implementing universal indoor masking,” Matthews said.
Bethany Lutheran, Lutheran School of St. Luke and Trinity Christian all operate preschool through eighth-grade classes.
None of the schools responded to requests for comment.
On its website, the Lutheran School of St. Luke COVID-19 response plan, dated Aug. 8, requires masks but provides exceptions. During periods of substantial COVID-19 transmission, for instance, students are allowed to take mask breaks at their desks and staff members are allowed to remove masks if they are teaching 10 to 12 feet from students.
The Centers for Disease Control and American Academy of Pediatrics are recommending masks inside to keep kids safe in schools as the highly infectious delta variant of COVID-19 is surging across the U.S. Children ages 11 and younger are not yet eligible for vaccinations.