SANDOVAL — The school mask mandate for Illinois schools has effectively been suspended — for now.

On Tuesday, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) voted against extending the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) emergency rule on school mask mandates.

Sandoval School Superintendent Matt Dannaman was only one of many Illinois school officials making announcing their new rules Wednesday

Dannaman issued a statement early Wednesday morning alerting all school families that as a result of the action taken by JCAR, Sandoval CUSD 501 would be “mask optional” for all students and staff starting Wednesday.

IDPH’s move to reissue the emergency rule would have required school districts to enforce Governor JB Pritzker’s school mask mandate despite a recent court ruling on the matter.
The JCAR vote was 9 to 0 with 2 just voting present.

JCAR essentially blocked the re-implementation of Gov. Pritzker’s mask mandate for K-12 public and private schools in Illinois.