SE Illinois News

State Representative Adam Niemerg has issued the following press release:                                                                                 

State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) is calling out the Illinois High School Association for the recent Board decision to deny schools access to state series for sports programs not in compliance with mask mandates.

“The IHSA Board of Directors did not look at this situation as being a pro-mask or anti-mask issue, nor did they view their ruling as any type of political stance,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a statement.

Niemerg disagrees.

“Everything regarding mask mandates at schools is political,” Niemerg said. “It is about control and bullying people into submission. No one pushing for school mask mandates can back up these requirements with actual data. These policies are about control and about the state trying to step in and co-parent our kids.”

Niemerg noted that a comprehensive study from the CDC examined a variety of mitigation strategies schools employed including masks to stop the spread of COVID-19 and found no statistical evidence these strategies helped in any meaningful way. The study included 90,000 elementary-school students in 169 Georgia schools and was conducted from November 16, 2020, to December 11, 2020. 

“This is the most comprehensive study of its kind yet it's not being considered because it does not fit the narrative of the Governor, Illinois Department of Public Health, or the Illinois State Board of Education," Niemerg said. "There is no reason for schools to require athletes to wear masks while competing in sports. Again, this is about control, and it is about the IHSA, ISBE, and IDPH being the strongarm for an out-of-control Governor.”