La Salle-Peru High School says masks will be optional

Masks will be optional at La Salle-Peru High School, effective immediately.

The high school is responding to a vote Tuesday from the Joint Committee of Administrative Rules, a bipartisan committee of the General Assembly, which struck down Gov. JB Pritzker’s request to renew his emergency COVID mitigation rules.

The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules voted, 9-0, with two members voting “present,” to object to the rules and suspend them from going into effect. The vote by JCAR means that, for the time being, there is no state mandate on mitigation measures for public or private K-12 schools.

The school also is suspending all other COVID-19 mitigations that have been in place throughout the school year.

On Feb. 6, the La Salle-Peru High School board opted to keep the governor’s mask rules in place, because it was not named in the litigation of a restraining order from Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow, which blocked nearly 170 school districts named in Greenville attorney Thomas DeVore’s lawsuit from enforcing mask requirements, among other COVID-19 policy items.

Students protested the decision by refusing to wear masks Feb. 7, and 16 of them were initially suspended, but those suspensions have since been rescinded, with the district opting instead to send students home with unexcused absences who refused to wear masks. Now wearing a mask will be a student’s choice.

Superintendent Steven Wrobleski and Board President Tony Sparks said the district will remain supportive of students, staff or visitors who wish to wear masks and will not tolerate any bullying regarding the issue.

“We recognize that (Tuesday’s) action creates more confusion and questions,” Wrobleski and Sparks said in a joint statement. “We are concerned that the situation will remain fluid. As it evolves, the district will continue to monitor events and adjust as necessary. We are hopeful that things will begin to stabilize.”

If district residents have any questions, Wrobleski said to contact him at 815-223-2373 or swrobleski@lphs.net.