Hinsdale D-86 Board Keeps Mask Mandate

DARIEN, IL — The Hinsdale High School District 86 board on Thursday voted to continue the mask mandate, drawing loud objections from a crowd that opposed the rule.

The board's vote was 5-2. Most of the audience of nearly 200 departed after the decision. But they left noisily, with residents yelling, "Shame on you!" One woman shouted, "You are a disgrace to our kids!"

Board President Terri Walker and members Kathleen Hirsman, Erik Held, Cynthia Hanson and Debbie Levinthal supported the mandate, while Jeff Waters and Peggy James opposed it.

Even though the meeting took place at Hinsdale South, most of the audience appeared to be from Hinsdale Central's area.

Last Friday, a downstate judge suspended the mask mandate for nearly 150 defendant districts, including District 86. Many of the schools immediately changed to mask optional, while District 86 and others kept the rule.

The district on Sunday notified the public through a mass email that the mask requirement was staying, but the message did not list the consequences for violators.

Controversy erupted Monday when Central sent maskless students home or required they work in the auditorium. In a public email Monday, the district said everyone at South followed the mask rule that day, while 92 percent of Central students did.

At Thursday's meeting, many audience members wielded yellow signs reading, "Fire Tammy Prentiss," referring to the superintendent. Residents were upset over an anti-racism consultant that the district had previously considered hiring. The consultant withdrew last month, calling Hinsdale "dangerous" in a letter, a message that many residents accused Prentiss of helping write.

Most of the audience was also opposed to the mask mandate. During the board's discussion, residents repeatedly heckled and jeered the board's mask mandate supporters and cheered opponents.

At the beginning of the discussion, James proposed the district go mask optional. Waters immediately backed her up, condemning Prentiss' handling of the situation.

He said he had asked for an emergency meeting on the issue, so the board could get residents' feedback.

"The worst path that we could have chosen was the one you did, Superintendent Prentiss," Waters said. "No communication was sent out Sunday night indicating to community members the extent the students would suffer if they chose to come to school without a mask... If that communication went out on Sunday, many families would have chosen to obey the instructions."

The superintendent's handling of the issue, he said, resulted in a "failure to educate."

Walker said only a minority of board members supported an emergency meeting. She attempted to continue to speak, but audience members interrupted her.

"Lack of transparency!" one man yelled.

A school security guard took a microphone and asked the audience to follow proper decorum.

"We want to get through this meeting," he said. "I know everyone is passionate about this. In all seriousness, can you let the board have this discussion? We can't have people shouting from the back row."

A handful of people applauded the guard.

Held said he wished that everyone could go to school the next day without wearing their masks if they chose to do so.

The audience cheered. Waters applauded.

But then Held said the district must consider the liability if it went against public health guidance.

"We do leave ourselves open to losing tort immunity in case of a lawsuit against us, which is a very large liability," Held said.

One person shouted that there was no risk. Another yelled, "Courage!" Then a man said, "Guys, let him speak."

James said the mask mandate was among the factors affecting students' mental health.

"There was a time and place for the restrictions, and I believe the time is now to remove them," she said. "As a district, are we standing up for students?"

After the board's vote, members went into a closed session.