A Mask Mandate In Elmhurst Schools?

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst's new superintendent on Monday revealed the pandemic plan that she would like to see in the next school year.

In short, Elmhurst School District 205 Superintendent Keisha Campbell wants no mask mandate for anyone. And she said she aims to sharply curtail quarantining, which affected thousands of Elmhurst students last year.

She spoke about the details of her proposal at Tuesday's school board meeting. The board plans to hold a special meeting in a couple of weeks to vote on the plan.

During her presentation, Campbell said the school district strongly encouraged unvaccinated students and staff to wear masks. But given the low rate of new coronavirus cases in Elmhurst, she said, the district would not require masks.

Last year, Elmhurst students were quarantined more than 5,000 times because they were believed to have come into close contact with those who tested positive for the coronavirus. Only 13 of those quarantined were later found to have the virus.

"Our goal is to significantly reduce the number of quarantines, so we can keep healthy students in school," Campbell said.

She said students would be encouraged to get vaccinated, but would not be required to do so.

"Vaccinations remain the single greatest tool to combat COVID-19," Campbell said. "Yet we understand that this is a personal decision and comes with many considerations that will and should be respected."

Campbell said the district wanted to promote a "climate of respect," regardless of vaccination status and views on masking.

In response, board member Courtenae Trautmann said the proposal was a "large step forward" with choice on masks and coronavirus testing. She said her biggest issue with the plan is quarantines, saying she feared it would require such procedures for unmasked, unvaccinated students.

"We close contact quarantined over 5,200 times. Of those, there were 13 positive cases. That's a lot of healthy kids not in in-person learning. We can't be supportive of that," Trautmann said.

Board member Chris Kocinski said Campbell's proposal addresses local concerns.

"Based on local data, it is quite compelling that we move into a phase of enhanced personal choice with regards to the mask policy and choice to get vaccinated," he said.

He said he, too, would like to go deeper into the quarantine policy, so the district can avoid quarantining healthy students, regardless of vaccination status.

Like other members, board President Kara Caforio said she appreciated Campbell's emphasis on respecting people's choices. The superintendent's proposal, she said, only works if respect exists.

"Our kids need to be able to be kids and learn and not feel uncomfortable if they are wearing a mask if that's what they want," she said.

Nationally, mask mandates are a polarizing issue. Elmhurst is no different.

During public input, residents took both sides of the issue.

Elmhurst chiropractor David Pollitz said that while his children do not attend public schools, he felt compelled to speak out about masks. He asked the board to make them optional. He cited medical research that shows masked children 6 to 17 years old breathe in unacceptably high levels of carbon dioxide.

"Children should not be forced to wear masks," he said. "Please trust science for the 2021-22 school year."

On the other side, resident Mary Young urged the board to require masks for those who are unvaccinated and those under 12, an age group that remains ineligible for vaccinations. She noted the coronavirus' delta variant, which is considered much more contagious.

"There are a population of kids who need to be in school. Most people asked to be in school in the spring," she told the board. "We had very few people who wanted to be remote. Why? Because they trusted you. You did masks. You did distance. You did testing. They felt comfortable sending their kids to you. That's why they chose to come back... I'm asking you to be examples for our students."