A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Gov. J.B. Pritzker, ISBE and 16 school districts in Lake and McHenry counties over the state’s school mask mandate and other COVID rules.
The case was filed in Macoupin County by attorney Thomas DeVore seeks declaratory judgment and injunctions against the schools, saying it’s unlawful to exclude students from school for allegedly being in close contact with a COVID-19 case without the consent of the parent or a court order that includes due process.
It also says it’s unlawful to require masks as a type of treatment without parental consent or a quarantine order from the courts.
Neither Pritzker’s office, nor the ISBE, immediately returned messages seeking comment.
Well over 100 school districts in Illinois were sued in the lawsuit.
McHenry County school districts named in the suit include Algonquin-based School District 300, Crystal Lake School District 47, Crystal Lake District 155, Cary School District 26, Huntley School District 158, McHenry School District 15 and Woodstock School District 200.
Lake County school districts named in the suit include Antioch School District 34, Lake Forest School District 67, Lake Forest School District 115, Vernon Hills-based District 128, Lake Villa-based District 117, Lincolnshire-Prairieview School District 103, Warren Township School District 121, Barrington School District 220 and Wauconda School District 118.
Shannon Adcock, the founder of parents’ rights group Awake Illinois, is one of the many plaintiffs in the case. Her children attend Aurora-based Indian Prairie School District 204.
“As a mother of 3 healthy children who have been forcibly masked and quarantined from school, my advocacy has always been in support of parental rights and the protections under the law,” Adcock said in a statement.
“Parents have advocated with grace and integrity at every level and have been met with total silence. After over a year and a half of government overreach, we are prepared to take the litigious route in an effort to provide the offramp from nefarious policy-making by our governor, state agencies, and the school districts who are failing the constituency,” she said.
“I am grateful to each plaintiff for having the courage of conviction to advocate for Illinois children,” Adcock added.
DeVore has secured temporary restraining orders against schools over such issues in smaller cases involving groups of children or entire school districts.
The Center Square and Lake and McHenry County Scanner both contributed to this story.