Jontry: Could be serious consequences for school districts that don’t comply with mask mandate

Posted on August 19, 2021
Mark Jontry is the superintendent for the Regional Office of Education #17 which covers McLean, Livingston, DeWitt and Logan Counties. (WJBC file photo)

By WJBC Staff

BLOOMINGTON – Regional School Superintendent Mark Jontry says school districts in Illinois don’t really have a choice when it comes to the state’s mask mandate for students.

Some voices are calling for school districts to defy the governor’s mask requirements, but Jontry says there could be serious consequences for districts that don’t comply.

The Illinois State Board of Education could revoke a district’s accreditation, for example, or exclude the district from activities sanctioned by the IHSA and IESA. Jontry adds that defiant districts also run the risk of increased legal liability.

“It would expose the district to civil damages if somebody could prove that they contracted the virus at school because of the lack of masking,” said Jontry. “The district would have to pay that up, and honestly, it would probably result in your local property taxes going up in order for the district to fund that.”

He says mask mandates are driven by student safety concerns. Jontry is hopeful that the current restrictions can be lifted for the second semester of the school year.

Jontry is the superintendent for the Regional Office of Education #17 which covers McLean, Livingston, DeWitt and Logan Counties.

WJBC News can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…