After numerous school districts filed a lawsuit against the state of Illinois for Governor Pritzker's school mask mandates, a Sangamon County judge ruled in their favor on February 4th. Although there is time for the state government to appeal and potentially have the lawsuit turn in their favor, it has set a precedent for other school districts in the state. 

Now that vaccines are accessible for all high-school-aged children, masking up should be a matter of personal choice rather than a rule instated by politicians. If children and their families are concerned about contracting COVID-19 for personal health and safety reasons, they may continue to wear masks. Along with that, many booster shots are available for qualifying individuals at local health clinics and pharmacies. 

Other high schools in the area have already gone mask-optional, such as when Freeburg High School announced in July that it would be mask-optional the entire school year. The Highland school district also went mask-optional, and many school districts are soon to follow.