Will County Gazette

Republican state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) wants Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) officials to know they’re on the clock in school masking debate.

“The required supermajority of JCAR was unwilling to publicly chastise ISBE for the arbitrary implementation of enforcement tools, so we set a 30-day clock for them to bring us rules,” Rezin posted on Facebook. “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 ISBE brings us rules, or if they will ask the legislature to take up the issue legislatively.”

Since Gov. J.B. Pritzker moved to reimpose his universal masking mandate for all public and private school students, ISBE officials have revoked the recognition of more than 60 schools and districts for not adhering to the governor’s directive.

Being stripped of recognition or placed on probation could lead to a school being denied state funding and rendered not be eligible to participate in ISHA-sponsored athletics.  

Critics of the situation point out that ISBE is not required to act according to recommendations by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) — they are only recommendations, according to ABC20.  

Public school districts get a two-month probation period before recognition and funding is revoked, but private schools can be immediately slapped with such penalties.

"Our concern is about the process and for these nonpublic schools," Rezin told ABC20. "ISBE came in pretty heavy handedly."

As of the middle of September, four public districts remained on probation and nine private schools were still considered unrecognized.