South Cook News

Veteran state Rep. John Curran is among a panel of state lawmakers demanding that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) make clear the process under which schools are punished for not adhering to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s latest school mask mandate.

“Whether you agree with the mask mandates or not, due process is a necessary and important step that is currently missing from ISBE’s enforcement of the governor’s executive order,” Curran recently posted on Facebook.

Curran recently took the floor at a Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) hearing on the issue. "You should have due process in place for all schools, all parents who are invested in these schools, whether public or private, and most importantly, the children that attend,” Republican Sen. John Curran of Downers Grove said at Tuesday’s hearing of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, according to the Chicago Tribune. 

ISBE officials have defended their actions in stripping some schools their recognition status for noncompliance. According to State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala, a district would first have its recognition status changed to “on probation” and be asked to submit a corrective action plan if they didn't comply with the governor's order. Failure to do so would lead to nonrecognition.

Schools placed on probation face the loss of state funding and lose the ability to participate in Illinois High School Association and Illinois Elementary School Association athletic competitions, the Chicago Tribune reported. Thus far, nine schools are “nonrecognized” while four school districts are on probation.

“What due process was Timothy Christian afforded in a decision that was made the same day to pull the recognition status?” Curran asked. “It’s not surprising that ISBE is now dragged into court, again, because this, on its face, is a very heavy-handed tactic that does not afford any due process.”

JCAR members approved a measure recommending ISBE propose additional amendments “expanding and clarifying the school recognition status to include a better-defined process prior to the revocation of recognition.”

The committee is requesting an updated response from ISBE within 30 days.