A group of high school students in the Chicago area walked out of class Monday to protest mask mandates in their schools.
The walkout came in response to Community High School District 128 continuing to enforce mask mandates after Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow overruled Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s decision to keep school mask mandates in place.
The district told Fox News that students needed to wear a mask, leave school or complete classwork in the gymnasium.
“We respect the District’s position. But we also disagree with it,” the students said in a statement posted on the Twitter account Student Voices Unmasked.”Most of us in this group have spent most of our high school lives behind these masks. For the younger students, their entire high school experience has been covered in masks. We believe it is time for this to end.”
District Superintendent Denise Hermann told parents the schools would continue to enforce the mask mandate.
“The masking, along with all of the D128 Prevention Strategies, has allowed both Libertyville and Vernon Hills High School to remain open for in-person learning and extracurricular activities,” Ms. Hermann said.
An appeal of the judge’s decision has started. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul asked the state appellate court in Springfield to suspend the restraining order.
“Absent a stay, students, teachers, and other school employees will be further exposed to COVID-19, leading to additional and likely widespread transmission within schools and in the broader community, increased hospitalizations and deaths, and school staff shortages requiring full remote learning or even school closures,” the appeal states.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
