PATOKA, IL — The Patoka School administration received a letter last week from the Illinois State Board of Education warning it was starting the process to place the district on probation for not its decision to stop enforcing masking, distance, and other requirements  as required by the Governor’s mandate.

The district will have 60 days to submit a compliance plan after first meeting with ISBE to review the school board’s action on the mandate.

If the district’s plan does not meet the state requirements, the school could lose its recognition, which would make graduation diplomas unaccredited, students ineligible for certain state scholarships, the school ineligible to participate in sports and the district could even lose state and federal funding.

In June, the school board voted 4-3 to eliminate all COVID-19 mitigations. Patoka students return to school Wednesday without a mandate for masks in the school or on buses, without social distancing requirements or other COVID precautions.