As masking protocols for Illinois schools remain in flux, several schools in central Lake County are reaffirming their masking policies. As a result, some students and parents are protesting the decision, with students across schools in Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills staging walkouts this month in response to the decision to maintain masks.
In a statement Feb. 7 from students at Community High School District 128, who organized a group titled “Students Voices Unmasked,” the group said they went to school without masks “as a sign of our desire for freedom from the mask mandate.” D128 contains both Libertyville High School and Vernon Hills High School.
At VHHS specifically, the release states the students were taken to a gym that day and were addressed by Principal Jon Guillaume, who explained the district’s masking stance and fielded questions, which the release says was a respectful exchange.
At that point, Guillaume gave the students the option of returning to class with a mask. Otherwise they’d be required to either stay in the gym or go home as a mental health day, the release states.
The remainder of the release details the disagreements the students have with the masking policies, saying they believe they should have the freedom to make the choice to not wear masks. The statement also reiterates that they encourage those who want to wear a mask to wear one. They add that wearing masks has taken away from their high school experience.
“We also know that as this mask mandate continues, time is running out on our high school experiences,” the release states. “We realize throughout our lives, there will be many situations where we will be forced to make decisions. To take a stand. We believe that time is now.”
The group’s Twitter page has several posts showing videos from the walkouts, including a line of students at LHS walking into school without masks.
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In response to the walkouts, which took place on Feb. 7 and 8, D128 released a statement Wednesday with comments from Board President Lisa Hessel and Superintendent Denise Herrmann.
In the letter, officials said they support the legal advice district leadership has given, which called for making no changes to the masking policy while the litigation is pending. They add this is to avoid potentially having to switch back the policy if the decision is reversed.
Looking forward, the letter says the district is “eager” to create a timeline that will see mitigation rolled back.
“To minimize further confusion and maintain consistency, we believe it is necessary to fully understand the legal framework in which we are operating before making any changes,” the D128 release states. “The health and safety of our students and staff remains our top priority.”
At Mundelein High School, officials said about two dozen students refused to comply with the mask mandate on Feb. 9, opting to go outside the building in protest. Director of Public Relations Peter Gill said the students were allowed to protest peacefully, but were reminded to follow school rules.
Gill added the protests did not last long and were mostly contained to the first hour of school. Those students were only allowed back in if they agreed to wear masks, with some opting to remain out of school. Gill said it’s unclear how many chose to come back to class versus how many remained absent.
With more than 2,000 students at the school, Gill said it would also be hard to measure how many might have stayed home Feb. 10 too in response to the mask policy.
“An overwhelming majority of the students are having a typical school day with masks on,” Gill told Pioneer Press.
The protests come amid a slew of developments and decisions on the state level on masking. Early this month, a court ruling blocked a number of school districts from enforcing the requirement for individuals named in the case. Earlier this week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the indoor mask mandate would go out of effective starting Feb. 28. However, as it stands the decision would not apply to schools, and the governor is still seeking to overturn last week’s court ruling.