At Elmhurst D-205, You Can See Faces Again

ELMHURST, IL — Something is different about the photos of students on Elmhurst School District 205's Facebook page: You can see most of their faces.

On Monday, the district ran four photos of Superintendent Keisha Campbell meeting with students from Bryan Middle School's leadership group. For one of the photos, 30 students and four adults, including Campbell, appeared as a group.

Of the students, only seven — five girls and two boys — were wearing masks. Three of the adults, including Campbell, did so.

Patch asked the district's spokeswoman, Tonya Daniels, about the percentage of students wearing masks. She responded the district was not keeping track.

Last week, the district decided to go mask optional after a downstate judge suspended the mask mandate for nearly 150 defendant school districts, including Elmhurst's.

Not all the districts made the same call. Hinsdale High School District 86 decided to keep its rule. That prompted residents to hold a protest shortly afterward.

When the District 86 school board met later in the week, many of the audience of nearly 200 spoke out against the mandate and jeered and interrupted board members. The board backed the administration's decision, voting 5-2 in favor.

Last summer, District 205 decided to go mask optional, at Campbell's recommendation. But the governor then required masks for all schools. District 205 followed the order.

For months, Elmhurst residents opposed to the mandate urged the district to go mask optional. They said it should be the choice of families.

Still, some mandate opponents apparently get unnerved seeing people choose to wear masks. At last week's Elmhurst school board meeting, a couple of residents took members to task for all wearing masks.