Chaos ensued at Hinsdale High School District 86 early in the school week after COVID-19 protocols caused confusion
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because of a court order from a Downstate judge that temporarily lifted mask mandates in schools.In complying with the temporary restraining order, District 86 said in an email Monday that they are exempting only the students whose parents are named in the lawsuit from wearing masks, making matters complicated for students that are not named in the lawsuit, but refuse to comply with the district’s COVID-19 rules.
The board meeting Thursday could make rules clearer for parents and students, and “pro-mask” community members are gearing up to “show up,” hoping to take attention away from those opposing mask-wearing in schools.
As of Tuesday, students that are not named in the lawsuit, but are refusing to follow the school’s universal masking policy will be asked to follow COVID-19 rules, or will be sent home to engage in asynchronous learning that is focused on completing assignments posted in Canvas, officials said.
Hinsdale resident Linda Burke has been rallying up people that support continued masking, noting the high percentage of doctors that live in Hinsdale.
“I think that people who understand the need for masking should be present,” Burke said. “We need to make our voices heard, but never rudely. Never interrupting any person who has the floor at the meeting, and never cornering anyone to yell and bully them, as one person did and proudly filmed herself with Mr. Walsh. At a minimum, district leadership should be able to make their decision without being targeted by the tactics of mob rule,” she said.
Burke referred to a Facebook Live video, posted to the social media platform on Tuesday by several community members after it was streamed, in which a woman is seen shouting at Hinsdale Central principal, Bill Walsh, over another parent’s son who was sent home for not wearing a mask.
“That video is a disgrace, and I think that’s what’s making our district look awful,” added Julie Zordani, whose son is a senior at Hinsdale Central. “I’ve watched Mr. Walsh over the years; he supports our kids, cheers on their victories, mourns all their losses as we go through this pandemic, he’s an outstanding principal. And for her to go and verbally assault him like that is so disturbing. It’s not what we want to teach our kids.”
The woman streaming the video can be heard saying to Walsh, “this kid better get into class right now or you’re going to get an injunction served tomorrow.”
The idea that the woman who confronted Walsh might be perceived by the public as “typical of Hinsdale,” is concerning, said Burke.
“I’d certainly rather not have such behavior associated with us at all. I’m hoping everyone will know it’s not typical. But there’s a risk that such behavior will be regarded as the norm for D86 and our community when it is not.”
The public perception along with the scientific evidence for masking is one of the reasons why Burke hopes other “pro-maskers” attend and sign up to speak during public comments at the board meeting in the Hinsdale South cafeteria.
“There is a large number of doctors and medical professionals living in Hinsdale or those who live in medical families — so there’s a huge number of people who understand aerosols spread COVID-19, and they put on a mask when they are indoors in public,” Burke said. “Masking is the majority point-of-view; it is not the extremely organized, privately funded point of view, however.”
Uma Levy, Hinsdale resident and pediatrician at Northwestern Medicine in Glen Ellyn, said mayhem surrounding mask-wearing in schools is rooted in misinformation and a clear divide in the country as far as people who deal with COVID-19 and people who don’t.
“People argue that kids don’t get sick with COVID-19, but as a pediatrician I can say that is absolutely not true,” Levy said. “They can end up in the hospital, some of them immediately, some of them with later complications and some of them with long-Covid symptoms. It’s not a benign disease for children.”
Amanda Harrison, Willowbrook resident and home health care nurse, said those that hold up signs at protests that say things like “follow the science: unmask the kids” as seen at demonstrations outside the District 181 administration center Monday, are following an “alternate reality science.”
“They have been fed such a well-thought out, cohesive narrative,” Harrison added. “Their thought-process has already been turned into the direction that Fox News or whatnot has wanted them to believe. To them, that is the truth. The real truth is, masks are an extremely important piece of the puzzle that is necessary for COVID-19 mitigation.”
Harrison also explained that wearing a mask is more than just a personal choice — it’s something that impacts not only the wearer, but also those around the wearer, which can often include vulnerable people in the community, she said.
For Burr Ridge resident Ericka Polanco Webb that notion hits home.
Webb’s son, who attends the Transition Center in District 86, has cerebral palsy.
“He is wheelchair bound, he does not talk, he does not walk — he is immunocompromised,” Webb said. “For me these things are very important. My son wears a mask, but he is in an environment in which some students, due to their condition, cannot wear a mask, and I understand those situations. Those situations are tough.”
Webb is the administrator of a community forum Facebook group called “D86 Straight Talk” that has garnered 1,500 members who engage in discourse and debates about current issues in the district. The issue top of mind for most, Webb said, has lately been masks.
“I don’t think anyone loves wearing a mask but the discussions get upsetting because of the way people are talking, not because they have different opinions,” Webb said. “There’s just a lot of subliminal messages going on and brash comments and it’s not in taste.”
Webb said she agrees with organizers like Burke who are pushing for more mask-positive representation at the meeting Thursday.
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“Everyone who feels strongly about masking should show up, and it’s more important that you do because it’s all about who has the loudest voice right now. Even if it’s 10 people, if those 10 people show up, then those are the soundbytes that are going to be projected,” Webb said.
According to numbers provided by District 86 officials, Hinsdale South had 100% compliance with masking on Monday, while Hinsdale Central had 92% of students wearing masks.
Zordani said she and others in the community feel the data shows what the majority opinion is on masking, and the district has the right to decide COVID-19 protocol based on health guidelines. “Not based on the bullying that they have going on from approximately 8% of the district,” she added.
Webb said she also supports the district’s right to implement a masking policy, and hopes people stand in solidarity with those calling the shots from a public health standpoint.
The decisions of the board in the weeks and months to come are extremely important for Webb with scarce options when it comes to keeping her son safe, she added.
“We had to make a decision of whether to keep him at home, which is not a good quality of life for him, or whether we should send him to school. But, we needed to make sure he kept on his mask,” Webb said. “Does he complain about the mask? Guess what, he does not.”