FILE – In this April 17, 2020, file photo, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during his daily coronavirus news conference in Chicago. (Tyler LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois governor took the unusual step Thursday of preemptively filing a lawsuit to ensure school children wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus when schools re-open.

The action filed late Thursday in Sangamon County Circuit Court seeks a judge’s approval of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order that schoolchildren wear face masks to reduce the chance that the highly contagious and potentially deadly virus can spread.

Pritzker wants the matter settled quickly because three Illinois school organizations have informed the state that Pritzker no long has authority to make such rules and they will be deciding their own safety guidelines.