Kane County Reporter

Republican state Sen. Dave Syverson believes Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s approach to dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis continues to be all wrong for the state, and he's pushing back.

“With his announced changes to the state’s COVID-19 mitigation plan, including a new mask mandate for students, teachers and staff in all K-12 schools regardless of vaccination status, Gov. Pritzker continues his unilateral approach to pandemic decision making, which actively undermines Illinois’ ability to have broadly accepted mitigation strategies,” Syverson said in a post to Facebook. 

With that in mind, the veteran lawmaker has started a petition that he's urging parents across the state to sign, demanding that the governor allow them a greater voice on the issue as schools across the state are set to reopen over the next several weeks.

“Sign my petition if you believe that locally elected school boards with parental input should be allowed to decide what safety precautions and protocols are in place for their students and staff,” he added.  

The governor’s order also mandates that all state employees working at congregate settings, such as long-term care facilities and veterans' homes, be vaccinated by no later than Oct. 4.

As the level of criticism over his latest actions continues to mount, Pritzker has remained steadfast, pointing out that the Illinois Department of Public Health and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now both recommending masking indoors at K-12 schools, NBC5 Chicago reported.

"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 added. "People are dying who don't have to die."