Parent: Mask Mandate Turning Schools Into 'Indoctrination Camps'

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — A handful of District 155 parents continue to push for their children to be able to take their masks off at school.

During a District 155 school board meeting last week, parents spoke up about their distrust of vaccines and state mandates, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker's requirement to wear masks in schools.

Bruce Johnson said his granddaughter goes to Crystal Lake Central High School, while her mom is home-schooling her two elementary school-aged children. They are "very disappointed" that masks required for their granddaughter, who had been an honor student but struggled to "get even a passing grade" with remote learning, he said.

District 155, like many Chicago area school districts, reversed its decision on making masks optional after Pritzker issued a new mandate for all students and teachers earlier this month. Johnson told the school board they "chose to collapse" because of the governor's announcement, adding that he believes masks offer "little to no protection."

Almost all reputable studies indicate that masks do offer protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. N95 respirators work better than cloth masks. But combined with physical distancing, all masks help to slow the spread of the virus to some extent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association, the Mayo Clinic and dozens of peer-reviewed studies.

"Our children are being held hostage by you, our schools," Johnson continued. "Wake up board, wake up parents, wake up Americans. To all the parents that are listening, seriously look at sending them to private or charters schools."

Johnson called for parents to "hit the schools and their pocketbooks by removing them from these indoctrination camps."

A mother who said she worked in the medical field spoke about the difficulties children are having with wearing masks in the classroom, as well as the "two hours of sweating" athletes must endure in masks while practicing. She pointed to studies showing the vaccines are less effective against the delta variant and expressed concerns over requirements for additional booster shots the CDC says may be necessary.

Health officials say the vaccines are less effective at preventing infection by the delta variant, but are still highly effective at preventing serious illness and death. Most new coronavirus cases and nearly all hospitalizations and deaths across the country are among unvaccinated people, according to the CDC.

A father spoke up as well, talking about the social difficulties children are experiencing because of masks. He said D155 officials should look deeper into whether masks actually work and push back against state mandates, making masks optional.

"We don't want (our daughter) to think she is a social outcast because she thinks for herself," he said.

Meanwhile, more COVID-19 cases are being reported in D155 schools. As of Wednesday, there were nine active cases among students, and four staff members have tested positive for the virus in the district's four high schools. Since the start of the school year, there's been 25 students who've tested positive for the virus and 13 staff members, according to D155 COVID-19 statistics, which are updated weekly.

Currently, 83 of the 5,600 D155 students are in quarantine and seven staff members have been sent home either because they've tested positive for the virus or been in close contact with someone with COVID-19.

On Thursday, Pritzker announced vaccinations would be required for all teachers and health care workers in the state. The decision comes as hospital beds continue to dwindle across the state, including in Lake and McHenry counties.

The governor said data shows the one-third of Illinoisans "who have chosen not to get the life-saving vaccine" are driving the fourth wave of the pandemic in the state.

Workers in health care, schools and college students and staff who do not provide proof of vaccination will be prevented from entering facilities unless they agree to required weekly testing, according to the governor's office.

• Vaccine Required For Teachers, Health Care Workers In Illinois