Illinois parents sue school board over mask mandate

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Several District 211 parents are outraged as their children are required to mask up while inside school buildings.

At Thursday night's school board meeting, parents served the school board a lawsuit, representing 700 parents and 145 school districts statewide.

They say this is an overreach of power by Gov. Pritzker, the state health department and the state board of education.

"While the lawsuit does cover masks and enforced quarantine, it’s also about having one branch of government dictate what law is supposed to be," according to one of the plaintiffs.

District 211 is the largest high school district in Illinois with 12,000 students enrolled.

Angie Guitner is among the parents who support the mask mandate. She’s immunocompromised and said she’s concerned for her family's safety and the health of others.

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"There are mandates for everything else. You have to put seatbelts on, they mandate all other vaccines for kids. It’s proven it won't hurt kids," said Guitner.

In response to the lawsuit filed, Gov. Pritzker said it's his job to keep kids safe.

"My job as the governor is to keep kids safe. I have to say, if you’re suing the people that are trying to keep you safe, we will certainly be in court."

District 211 parents, overall, appear to be divided on masking.

A freshman student was reportedly suspended for one day in August for refusing to wear a mask at school.

A district official says students are complying.