Quincy Reporter

State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) is committed to taking a stand for her constituents in the fight over Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s newly imposed mask mandate.

Making use of his executive power and with classes across the state slated to resume over the next few weeks, Pritzker recently announced he is imposing a statewide mandate requiring all public and private school students to wear masks while inside school buildings.

"A great deal of constituents, educators, school board members, and groups have contacted me about Governor Pritzker’s school mask mandate, Tracy said in a post to Facebook. “I wanted to assure everyone that I am doing all I can to appeal to the Governor and work with him and his staff to help them recognize the importance of allowing elected school boards to make policy that affects students in their district.”

Making matters all the more frustrating for Tracy is her belief that things never had to come to this if the governor would have been doing his job the way she thinks he should.

“It is important to note that the Senate Republicans have filed many bills to limit the Governor’s executive orders in current and future situations,” she said. “Those efforts have stalled and our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. His blatant abuse of power continues to amaze me.”

As both a parent and grandparent, Tracy said she is now urging school age parents across the state to sign her petition calling on Pritzker to return power to local authorities.

Pritzker has defended his decision to enact the mandate by pointing out the Illinois Department of Public Health and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now recommending masking indoors at K-12 schools.

"As your governor, it's my duty to say that we must all take immediate and urgent action to slow the spread of the delta variant," he told NBCChicago. "People are dying who don't have to die."