Anti-Mask Parents Speak Out In Elmhurst District 205

ELMHURST, IL — Full in-person learning returned to Elmhurst's public schools in mid-April. That followed a long effort by parents to get to that point.

Now some parents are undertaking a new campaign: Make masks optional.

During Tuesday's school board meeting, four parents spoke out against continuing the mask mandate, especially since Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently loosened many pandemic rules.

The parents did not bring politics into their messages to the board. But the debate over masks entered the national political debate last year — President Donald Trump largely shunned masks, while President Joe Biden embraced them.

For Elmhurst School District 205, the last day of school is Friday. The district has yet to announce a mask policy for the fall.

"Concerning face coverings, any mandates for schools have come from (the Illinois Department of Public Health), which has not issued information concerning the fall as of yet," District 205 spokeswoman Beverly Redmond said in an email Wednesday.

The district is keeping its mask mandate for the remainder of the school year, but hopes that is not the case for fall, Redmond said.

But the parents who spoke Tuesday urged the board to reject the guidance of county and state health agencies and stand up for local students. They argued masks are unnecessary and detrimental for students.

Parent Kate Dine said the mask policy is teaching children to live in fear.

"It saddens me when I send my children every day out the door for school when they put on their masks for the better part of seven hours," she said. "And for what reason? Children do not pose a risk to themselves or each other. Every adult who wants to be vaccinated is vaccinated, so again, why are the children still masked up? Even when they're outside, they still can't take off their masks."

She said children continually breathe in their own carbon dioxide and bacteria-ridden masks.

"How can we possibly go into the fall school season making them wear masks, especially when we do not know what the long-term effects of them wearing masks are?" Dine said. "Do you ever think how hard it is for kids to talk to each other and with their teachers?"

Parent Christopher Lameka said he was excited when the schools recently ended their policy of saliva testing for the coronavirus. But he said that encouragement was short-lived because the mask mandate continued. Such a requirement, he said, inhibits students' ability to learn and grow.

"When the school board promotes the notion that the COVID vaccine is a safe and viable thing to get our schools to return to normal, it ignores the fact that the vaccines have not been clinically studied to determine what, if any, negative effects they may pose to children," Lameka said. "When the school board defers its decision-making authority to unelected officials at the state and county boards of health, you are not making decisions based on what is best for students. Rather, the board is hiding from its responsibilities and accountability to the citizens of Elmhurst."

Parent Amy Wellman said masks and social distancing are unnatural and socially and emotionally damaging.

"Stop passing the buck and start leading the way," she told the board.

Anther parent, Ben Fisher, said he was adamant that masking was harmful for children.

"When I spoke a couple of months ago, I asked for a return to true normal and mentioned we should consider removing masks in school," he said. "I admit I was a little reluctant to bring it up because it had become politically controversial, and it seemed so far from reality."

He said it was a misconception that masks have been a key coronavirus mitigation strategy.

The school board did not respond to the comments, as is its practice.

Officials said they also had 17 written comments submitted for the meeting. Some of those messages may also involve the mask mandate.

The district typically posts comments to its website, but it takes a while.