Catholic Diocese of Peoria schools will follow Gov. Pritzker’s mask mandate

Posted on August 5, 2021

By Neil Doyle

PEORIA – The Catholic Diocese of Peoria will comply with Gov. JB Pritzker’s executive order and require all students and staff wear a face covering for in-person learning.

Last month, the diocese said parents and guardians should decide, but the Office of Catholic Schools got approval from Bishops Daniel Jenky and Louis Tylka to follow the governor’s order.

“The Catholic Diocese of Peoria has the greatest concern and care for God’s children, and we will do what is required by the Governor to hopefully, eradicate COVID-19 and its variants,” said the diocese in a news release Wednesday.

The Catholic Diocese of Peoria includes 42 elementary and secondary schools, 9,600 students, and 850 teachers across 26 counties. That includes McLean, Tazewell, Livingston, and Logan.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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