State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) is very happy that the lawsuit by parents and teachers in the area, including Dieterich, Teutopolis and Jasper County in his district, to not impose a statewide mandate for students to wear masks in classrooms has been taken seriously and that a Sangamon County judge has acted favorably. The ruling affects an estimated 146 Illinois school districts, with legal potential for more, and other Gov. Pritzker mandates on vaccinations for school employees.
“People I’ve talked to are so excited to hear that their objections to these blanket executive orders have finally been heard,” said Rep. Adam Niemerg. “The statistics are clear that these mandates on our children have hurt them academically, developmentally, and emotionally. Each time I visit a school, the number one question from students is, when can we remove our masks?”
In Judge Raylene Grischow’s ruling, she agreed with the parents and teachers that the governor does not have the authority to require masks or vaccinations. She also agreed with parents that the state cannot require districts to force education staff to get vaccinated or test weekly without first providing them with due process of law.
”This is a huge victory for parents and students who know their area better than the governor or the political bureaucrats in the administration,” added Rep. Niemerg. “Maybe now we will finally start down the path to getting back to some normalcy in our state.”