MORTON, Ill. -Eighty different school districts in Illinois, including some in this area, are signing a newspaper op-ed that opposes mask mandates in schools.
In the op-ed, the districts are accusing state leaders and Governor JB Pritzker of being a part of what they called “an incremental dismantling of local control in public education — and other areas — that began decades ago, with the pace only picking up since.”
They say that they believe public safety is of the utmost importance, too, but they object what they call “the abandoning of our principles of a nation.”
They also accuse the Illinois General Assembly of essentially being missing while Pritzker signed more than 80 COVID-19-related executive orders.
BELOW IS THE FULL OP-ED:
The state’s mandates regarding masks and vaccinations are merely the headlines and excuses of the moment in an incremental dismantling of local control in public education – and other arenas — that began decades ago, with the pace only picking up since.
Indeed, the latest top-down decisions from the governor and Illinois State Board of Education – and at times we’ve seen this at the federal level, as well – are just a continuation of the pattern of higher officials substituting their judgments for those of local school boards. That has included matters of curriculum, testing, student dress codes, accommodations, discipline, athletics, school lunch offerings, etc. “Unfunded mandates” – directives without the dollars to implement them — have been a local rallying cry for as long as many of us can remember.
It is fair to ask: What is the point of electing local school boards at all?
We would grant that public safety is of the utmost importance – we want to protect our kids, employees and ourselves, too — and that people of good intention may differ on the approaches to this pandemic and how best to protect the short- and long-term health and interests of our students. What we would not concede is that we must abandon our principles as a nation in order to preserve and protect the nation and its citizens. Among those principles is the rule of law.
Since March 2020, Gov. Pritzker has issued more than 80 executive orders regarding COVID-19 that have carried the force of law. The actual lawmaking
branch of government – the Illinois General Assembly — has been missing in action.
Lest anyone think our stance here is political, whether it’s a Republican governor of Florida or a Democratic governor of Illinois making these unilateral calls, it is clear that this has become a bipartisan affliction. The aims may be different but the behavior is the same, and worthy of objection in either case.
Indeed, it is impossible to believe that governing by executive order is what this nation’s Founders had in mind when they were forming our nation. Not only have school boards been made irrelevant, but evidently legislatures have been, too. This is not what we teach our students in regards to how our republic is supposed to work. We may not always agree with the legislative outcome, but at least our time-tested processes have been respected.
Meanwhile, federal and state law are abundantly clear as to where the authority lies in regards to public education: “Parents have the primary responsibility for the education of their children,” while other public and even private jurisdictions “have the primary responsibility for supporting that parental role.”
Gov. Pritzker himself once subscribed to that view. As recently as July, he stated that “families should be involved in making decisions for their own families. And, school districts and school boards will make decisions for the schools within their districts.”
Evidently, the Governor and ISBE really don’t believe this.
Meanwhile, those of us who took the governor at his word are now dismissed and derided as an extreme minority, the enemies of science and compassion.
First, too many of our state leaders mistake compliance with agreement and consent. More of us than they apparently wish to admit have serious misgivings about how decisions are being made in Springfield.
As for the science, it – or at least the communication of it from the CDC and others – has been inconsistent, at best. Finally, who’s really being punitive here – and to schoolchildren, not adults – when the consequences of not falling in line
are to make high school diplomas worthless, or deny funding, or prevent students from participating in athletics? It is precisely because we do care about our young people that we are sparing them these threatened punishments.
In short, may Springfield forgive those of us who have come to view it as less a partner than an adversary in the education of our children.
To say this is a challenging and unprecedented time understates it, but the zig-zag nature of decision-making out of Springfield has made it far more difficult to manage our classrooms, our schools, and our districts, creating unnecessary conflict in our communities. None of that serves our students – our reason for being – well.
It’s not just about the pandemic. It’s about all of the decisions that have been taken out of local hands by those who are all too distant from the resulting fallout. Enough is enough. Absolutely, it is the principle of the thing. Please, restore local control and accountability to our communities and those of us who know them best.
Respectfully,
Morton CUSD# 709
Dr. Jeff Hill, Superintendent and Morton District 709 Board of Education
Central Community High School District #71
Dr. Dustin Foutch, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Brian Kurz, Superintendent
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Mr. Mark A. Hettmansberger, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Chris Dougherty, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Jonathan D. Green, Superintendent
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Dr. Kyle Thompson, Regional Superintendent
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Dr. Todd Hellrigel, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Larry D. Lovel, Superintendent
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Ms. Annie Gray, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Dr. DeAnn Heck, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Dr. Travis R. Roundcount, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Dustin E. Nail, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Jason Bauer, Superintendent
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Mr. Shane Schuricht, Superintendent and Board Members: Abbie Ballard, Jake Hankins, Gary Hayden, Ellen Trainor and Scott West
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Mr. Jonathan Tallman, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Josh DeLong, Superintendent and Gardner South Wilmington #73 Board of Education.
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Mr. Kerry Herdes, Superintendent and South Central Board of Education
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Ms.Danette Young, Superintendent and Paris CUSD #4 Board of Education
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Mr. Josh DeLong, Superintendent and Braceville Elementary School District #75 Board of Education
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Dr. Scott E. Doerr, Superintendent and the following Board members: Mr. Chad Ruppert, Board President, Mr. Carl Kettelkamp, Board Members, and Mr. Denny Bauman, Board Secretary.
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Ms. Tonya Evans, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. R. Mathew Plater, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Robert Bardwel, Superintendent and Eureka CUSD 140 Board of Education
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Mr. Gregory Frerking, Superintendent
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Mr. Eric Helbig, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Erik Van Hoveln, Superintendent and Windsor CUSD #1 Board of Education
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Mr. Seth Schuler, Superintendent and Cowden-Herrick Board of Education
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Mr. Tom Siegle, Superintendent
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Dr. Thomas Rude, Superintendent
Mt. Pulaski CUSD #23
Mr. Fredrick A Lamkey, Superintendent and Mt. Pulaski Board of Education
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Mr. Erik Young, Superintendent and Board of Education
Flanagan-Cornell District #74
Mr. Jerry Farris, Superintendent and Flanagan-Cornell FC 74 Board of Education New Berlin CUSD #16
Ms. Jill Larson, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Travis Wyatt, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Benjamin Johnson, Superintendent
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Mr. Kevin Ross, Superintendent
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Mr. Jakie Walker, Superintendent and Red Hill Board of Education
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Mr. Scott D. Riddle, Superintendent and CUSD#4 Board of Education
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Dr. Adam Ehrman, Superintendent
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Dr. Jennifer Garrison, Superintendent and Board President Joe Lawson
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Mr. Thomas Welsh, Superintendent and Roanoke-Benson Board of Education
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Ms. Lorie LeQuatte, Regional Superintendent
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Mr. Sam Alli and Board of Education
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Mr. Larry Maynard, Superintendent
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Mr. Tim Branon, Superintendent
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Dr. Zac Chatterton, Superintendent
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Mr. Wayne Stone, Superintendent
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Mr. Gary Tipsord, Superintendent and LeRoy CUSD#2 Board of Education
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Dr. Donna Veile and Board of Education: Lisa Schwartz, Vinson Sill, Chanse Barker, Clint Twaddle, Danelle Donley, and Denise Albsmeyer
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Mr. Steve Smith, Superintendent
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Mr. Bill Fritcher, Superintendent
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Ms. Julie Healy, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Kent Stauder, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Ms. Melanie Andrews, Superintendent and Matthew Flanigan, Board President
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Mr. Matthew Sturgeon, Superintendent
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Mr. Ted Walk, Superintendent
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Dr. Shane Gordon, Superintendent
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Mr. Robert Koontz and Board of Education
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Mr. Mark E. Doan, Superintendent
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Mr. Rob Wright, Superintendent
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Dr. Julie Bullard, Superintendent and Anna CCSD #37 Board of Education
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Mr. Matt Renaud, Superintendent
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Mr. Dustin E. Nail, Superintendent and Damiansville ESD #62 Board of Education
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Dr. Melanie Brink and Board of Education
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Ms. Julie Kraemer, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mrs. Casey Adam, Superintendent
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Dr. Jay P. Smith, Superintendent
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Mr. Mike Shackelford, Superintendent and Board of Education
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Mr. Rob Pipher, Superintendent
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