On Friday, a court ruling in Springfield resulted in a temporary restraining order enjoining the Governor from enforcing certain COVID-19 mitigation measures including universal masking. Approximately 150 of Illinois’ 840 school districts are subject to the court’s ruling. The state has already requested that the temporary restraining order be stayed by the circuit court and will pursue a stay and appeal with the appellate court as early as Monday. The appellate court’s stay decision and decision on the emergency appeal will likely come within a matter of days to two weeks.

What this means for your school district depends on whether your district is a party to the lawsuit and several other factors. It is critical that legal advice be given in a manner that preserves attorney-client privilege. Attorney-client privilege protects our clients and is important given the pending and threatened litigation.