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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Since March of 2020, Governor JB Pritzker has | ||||||
| 3 | issued over 80 executive orders pertaining to the COVID-19 | ||||||
| 4 | pandemic with very little legislative and local government | ||||||
| 5 | input; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, There have been several executive orders issued | ||||||
| 7 | governing schools, including the use of Personal Protective | ||||||
| 8 | Equipment (PPE) by students and school staff; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Executive Order 2021-11, issued by Governor | ||||||
| 10 | Pritzker on May 28, 2021, maintains the requirement that | ||||||
| 11 | students, staff, and visitors use face coverings if they are | ||||||
| 12 | over the age of two and able to medically tolerate a face | ||||||
| 13 | covering; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Since EO 2020-11 was issued, Illinois has moved | ||||||
| 15 | to Phase 5 of Restore Illinois due to the number of new | ||||||
| 16 | COVID-19 cases dramatically decreasing over the last several | ||||||
| 17 | weeks and public health metrics showing that it was time for | ||||||
| 18 | Illinois to begin reopening; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, In addition to lower case rates and fewer | ||||||
| 20 | hospitalizations, vaccination rates are also on the rise with | ||||||
| 21 | nearly 54 percent of Illinoisans now fully vaccinated and 70 | ||||||
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| 1 | percent having at least one dose of the vaccination; and
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| 2 | WHEREAS, All kids ages 12 and above have been eligible for | ||||||
| 3 | the COVID-19 vaccine since May; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, The Illinois State Board of Education and the | ||||||
| 5 | Illinois Department of Public Health have yet to issue updated | ||||||
| 6 | guidance for the 2021-2022 school year as it relates to the | ||||||
| 7 | pandemic and the use of masks even though school districts | ||||||
| 8 | must start planning for the upcoming school year; therefore, | ||||||
| 9 | be it
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| 10 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 11 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 12 | we urge Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois State Board of | ||||||
| 13 | Education, and the Illinois Department of Public Health to | ||||||
| 14 | allow for local control by duly elected school board members | ||||||
| 15 | regarding decisions on COVID-19 mitigation efforts that best | ||||||
| 16 | fit the community and school districts in which they serve; | ||||||
| 17 | and be it further
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| 18 | RESOLVED, That duly elected school board members have the | ||||||
| 19 | ability to set parameters and issue guidance on the use of | ||||||
| 20 | masks in schools and on other COVID-related safety precautions | ||||||
| 21 | due to lower COVID-19 case numbers throughout the State and | ||||||
| 22 | the rise in vaccinations; and be it further
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 2 | delivered to Governor JB Pritzker, State Superintendent Dr. | ||||||
| 3 | Carmen Ayala, and the Director of the Illinois Department of | ||||||
| 4 | Public Health, Dr. Ngozi Ezike.
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