Dozens of parents sue 145 schools, Pritzker and ISBE over COVID quarantine, mask mandates

[October 21, 2021]  By Greg Bishop

(The Center Square) – Parents of dozens of students are suing 145 Illinois school districts, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education over COVID-19 orders affecting school children.

The case filed in Macoupin County by attorney Thomas DeVore seeks declaratory judgment and injunctions against the schools, saying it’s unlawful to exclude students from school for allegedly being in close contact with a COVID-19 case without the consent of the parent or a court order that includes due process.

It also says it’s unlawful to require masks as a type of treatment without parental consent or a quarantine order from the courts.

Neither Pritzker’s office, nor the ISBE, immediately returned messages seeking comment.

The districts sued in the case range from Antioch Consolidated School District to Porta, to Jacksonville and more.

Shannon Adcock, the founder of parents' rights group Awake Illinois is one of the many plaintiffs in the case. Her children attend Indian Prairie School District #204.

Christine Cowen | Wikimedia via Creative Commons

“As a mother of 3 healthy children who have been forcibly masked and quarantined from school, my advocacy has always been in support of parental rights and the protections under the law,” Adcock said in a statement on behalf of herself. “Parents have advocated with grace and integrity at every level and have been met with total silence. After over a year and a half of government overreach, we are prepared to take the litigious route in an effort to provide the offramp from nefarious policy-making by our governor, state agencies, and the school districts who are failing the constituency.”

“I am grateful to each plaintiff for having the courage of conviction to advocate for Illinois children,” Adcock said.

DeVore has secured temporary restraining orders against schools over such issues in smaller cases involving groups of children or entire school districts.