Unmasked Hinsdale D-86 Students Go Home: Officials

HINSDALE, IL — Hinsdale High School District 86 said Monday it would send home students who fail to follow pandemic-related rules such as the mask mandate, a step that is certain to raise tensions in the debate over masks.

An exception to the policy is for students who are parties to a lawsuit before a downstate judge. They do not have to wear masks.

Violators of pandemic rules, the district said, would be required to take part in remote learning.

On Friday, a Sangamon County judge issued a temporary restraining order requiring the suspension of the statewide mask mandate in nearly 150 school districts. Those districts all include plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

On Monday, Hinsdale School District 181, another defendant in the lawsuit, decided to end its mask requirement for now. This followed a protest at district headquarters that police said involved 200 demonstrators.

District 86 reported 92 percent of students at Hinsdale Central chose to follow the mask requirement Monday. By contrast, it said, everyone at Hinsdale South complied.

In a response to a Patch inquiry Tuesday, district spokesman Chris Jasculca said unmasked students can also go to the auditorium and take part in remote learning.

In a statement Monday, Superintendent Tammy Prentiss said the district is continuing with its pandemic plan adopted in August. She said the school board will discuss the mask mandate and other pandemic-related rules at its meeting Thursday.

"I recognize that the recent ruling in the court case involving the state’s COVID-19 mitigations has further highlighted the differing opinions that exist about masks and their ability to slow the spread of the virus," Prentiss said.

In recent months, school board meetings have grown increasingly contentious. Many are upset over the district's handling of the hiring of an anti-racism consultant. And if masks are on the agenda for Thursday, a crowd is likely to show up.

Social media is boiling over with commenters criticizing the district. One resident who questioned the district's mask policy Monday drew more than 175 comments on the "D86 Straight Talk" Facebook page.