East Central Reporter

State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) has vowed to stand with parents, students and teachers across the state who are calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) to lift the mask mandate for schools.

Bailey's reaction came after Pritzker announced he would be lifting the indoor mask mandate, but not for schools just yet.

"We're in a fight for our freedoms and we're in a fight for the future of Illinois," Bailey said during a press conference. "Working families, our students need relief and they need an advocate fighting for them."

Bailey claimed Pritzker put politics over the best interest of students attending schools across the Prairie State. 

"This unilateral move without engaging the legislators does not make him a leader, it makes him a tyrant," Bailey said. "And his inability to stand up to the woke mobs and special-interest groups makes him a coward. It's time to stop this nonsense and end the mandates today."

Bailey said that he'd continue to fight for freedoms including those of parents who have the right to make decisions for their own families.

"It's time to end the mandates and provide our children with the education that they deserve. One where masks are optional and possibilities are endless. Where parents choose the best school for their children and their involvement is encouraged. It's time to stand up to the special interests, eliminate the mandates, remove the woke policies from classrooms and restore the 'P' to 'PTA,'" Bailey said. 

According to NBC Chicago, Pritzker said he planned to lift the mandate for the state by Feb. 28.

During his press conference, Pritzker said reduced hospitalizations was a key factor in making the decision to remove the mandate, NBC Chicago reported.