Anti-Mask Protesters Harass Students, Glen Ellyn Parents Say

GLEN ELLYN, IL — A group of Glen Ellyn parents is pleading with village trustees and local police to take action about a group of anti-mask protesters who rally outside Forest Glen School. Local police say they are doing all they can to ensure the safety of students, though parents claim the protesters have distracted drivers, called the students "the youth of Hitler" and yelled "crude comments."

Parents and other residents voiced their concerns at a board of trustees meeting held Monday evening.

Safety Concerns

The protesters gather at the intersection of Elm and Main streets regularly before 9 a.m., parents said, causing drivers to take their eyes off the road and swerve, often coming close to children as they are walking to school.

Resident Kim Reid said she has been near the intersection and witnessed drivers who "ran red lights or almost hit the crossing guard."

The location of the protests creates "dangerous situations for students, their families and the crossing guards," Reid said.

Parent Elizabeth Greco said the protesters once distracted her third grade daughter, causing her to walk into the crosswalk without the help of a crossing guard.

Greco said some parents have been getting to school early to avoid the protests. Other parents are dropping their kids off at other intersections that do not have a crossing guard.

The early-morning protests are taking an emotional toll on Greco's kids, she said. “My kids have just seen a lot of things they shouldn’t see on the way to school, and it’s causing them a lot of anxiety," she said.

Parents Claim Kids Harassed, Called "Youth of Hitler"

Other parents echoed Greco's concerns, claiming the protesters use inappropriate language and harass students as they walk to class.

Scott Fisher, who called into the meeting, said protesters confronted his daughter, a kindergartner at Forest Glen, as she walked to school Aug. 30.

Fisher said one protester approached his daughter and her friend and "engaged in child abuse," calling them the "youth of Hitler."

“People are entitled to their opinions," Fisher said, "but there is a line."

"Ramifications" in the Classroom

Glen Ellyn School District 41 Superintendent Melissa Kaczkowski said the protests cause "ramifications" in the classroom "day in and day out."

It's also "taken a toll on staff," she said, adding that protesters have said things to teachers as they walked to class.

The incidents prevent teachers from doing "the work that they need to do versus needing to be outside" to address the protesters, Kaczkowski said.

She said the protests prompt kids to ask questions regularly and have spurred continuous calls to the Glen Ellyn Police Department.

“I speak to Deputy Chief [Kurt] Vavra multiple times a day," Kaczkowski said.

What Police Are Doing

Glen Ellyn Police Chief Philip Norton spoke at the meeting, reassuring parents that police will remain on hand during the protests.

Nevertheless, he said “[i]t distresses us as a police department to have our hands tied to how we can react.”

He said First Amendment rights prevent police from forcing protesters to move to another location, but that police have urged the protesters to "move down" and "stop engaging kids."

“It is not a constant, dangerous, scary environment," Norton said, "We would have interjected if it were.”

He added, “If there were threats or intimidation, the police department would have interjected and stopped it."

Norton said counterprotesters have added to what he called an "antagonism [sic] environment."

“Our officers are there to respond if there’s a situation that is deemed to be dangerous or if someone’s rights are violated," Norton said.

Current Mask Mandate

In early August, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that masks would be required in Illinois schools as of Aug. 30. Glen Ellyn School District 41 changed its effective mask policy to align with this mandate.

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