Senate Bill 75 passed the General Assembly and now heads to the Governor. | Image Source: Facebook - Credit: State Senator Sue Rezin
Senate Bill 75 passed the General Assembly and now heads to the Governor. | Image Source: Facebook - Credit: State Senator Sue Rezin
State lawmakers are asking the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to make more clear its rules for stripping a school of its recognition status for not requiring COVID-19 masks.
The ISBE however does not have to comply with the request, according to a News Channel 20 report.
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JACR) is a legislative oversight committee of the State General Assembly, tasked with reviewing administrative rules by state agencies including schools. The state lawmakers on the JACR are not questioning mask mandates, the report noted, but whether the ISBE has the authority and the right process to revoke a school’s recognition.
“The required super majority of the JCAR was unwilling to publicly chastise the ISBE for the arbitrary implementation of enforcement tools, so we set a 30-day clock for them to bring us the rules,” Sen. Sue Rezin (R-LaSalle) said in a Facebook post. “I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that the 30-day extension brings us to when the Legislature will reconvene. We will have to see if the ISBE brings us rules or if they will ask the Legislature to take up the issue legislatively.”
According to the report, the ISBE last month removed recognition for more than 60 schools (including private schools) and school districts, or put them on probation for not requiring COVID-19 masks for students and adults on school grounds.
"There is a concern that policy outside of rules may exist and the JCAR encourages the ISBE to place all guidance in the rules," a JCAR staffer was quoted in the News 20 report.
Rezin also expressed a concern whether the ISBE is following the rules.
"Our concern is about the process and for these nonpublic schools," she said. "The ISBE came in pretty heavy handedly."
Political expert Kent Redfield said the JCAR move is simply a request, but predicted lawsuits could arise over schools refusing to impliment mask mandates.
As of Sept. 15, four public school districts are on probation and nine private schools remain unrecognized, the report added.
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