Kankakee Trinity Academy becomes “Nonrecognized” by Illinois School Board of Education

KANKAKEE – Kankakee Trinity Academy has become “nonrecognized” by the Illinois School Board of Education.

The school was sent a letter by ISBE informing them of the ruling Monday.

It comes weeks after a handbook was released to parents and students that had no mention of COVID-19 or the pandemic.

Before the beginning of the school year, Trinity asked in the Parent-Student Handbook that parents to keep children home if they showed signs of sickness, similar to most COVID-19 symptoms, like fever and coughing. 

Last year, Trinity Principal Brad Prairie said the school’s plan for a return to class was for face masks to be “optional but encouraged.”

Kids returned to school for the first time this falls Monday, August 23rd.

Gov. Pritzker issued an executive order on August 4th mandating masks be worn by students and staff, regardless of their vaccination status. The Centers for Disease Control has released similar guidance to curb the spread of the Delta Variant.

Schools that lose state recognition also lose access to state funding and participating in Illinois High School Association or Illinois Elementary School Association athletic competitions. 

Kankakee Trinity Academy is a non-public school that offers pre-school through high school education in Kankakee.  According to State records, Trinity had 302 students enrolled in school last year.

Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst lost state recognition earlier this month but had it restored after agreeing to require masks in school.

St. Anne CCSD 256, a public school system in Kankakee County, was also placed on probation by the State this past Wednesday following a vote by the school board against the mask mandate. St. Anne will have 60-days to submit a plan to the state or also risk losing state recognition.