CHICAGO — Masks mandates are ending in most of Chicago and Illinois Monday, but not in the state’s largest school district.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez reminded families in a Sunday letter that universal masking is still required in all of its schools and offices “for now.”
Martinez thanked families for their patience. He said the district is reviewing the latest recommendations on masks and “working with our labor and public health partners on how to preserve a safe, healthy learning environment for all as we transition into this new phase of the pandemic.”
On Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the end of the mask rule for schools after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to call for indoor masking only in areas with high COVID-19 transmission. The entire Chicago area is currently in the low risk category.
Scores of Illinois schools had already moved to mask-optional policies after a lawsuit against dozens of districts, including CPS, resulted in a temporary halt to the mandate for children of those who sued.
But in CPS, universal masking is stipulated in a hard-fought COVID-19 safety agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union, which came about after union members refused to teach in person during the omicron surge in January, resulting in five days of canceled classes.
Last week, the Chicago Board of Education took the further step of passing a resolution to affirm masking and other coronavirus-related rules, though it grants Martinez authority to change those policies in consultation with public health officials and “stakeholders.”
Parents in CPS are lining up on both sides of the issue. A group in favor of keeping the mask rule was planning to rally outside City Hall Monday morning, saying in a tweet that “we cannot abandon the disability community for a ‘rush to normal’ and so many more CPS children still need vaccination.”
Other parents are urging the district to drop the mandate in the alignment with the latest CDC guidance.
Pritzker had already announced that the general statewide mask mandate for most indoor spaces would end Monday, with Chicago following suit.
