Cruz To Discuss Face Masks In School After Lawsuit Gets Tossed

OAK LAWN, IL — Dist. 229 school board member Rob Cruz, who is running in next year’s Republican primary for the new 6th Congressional District, plans to address his fellow board members on “the rapid increase of youth suicide and violence in his district, as well as nationally” at Wednesday’s school board meeting.

“We are in an unprecedented time, where student cases involving mental health are up significantly not just here but in districts all across the Chicagoland area,” Cruz said in a written campaign statement to Patch. “These cases have led to double-digit suicides in the last 4-5 months and have devastated families and communities alike. Schools have seen a hike in bad behavior to the point where media outlets are covering it almost on a weekly basis.”

Cruz was elected to the Oak Lawn Community High School Dist. 229 school board last April. Supt. Mike Riordan told Patch he has not been aware of any Oak Lawn students committing suicide in many years, and “certainly nothing since the start of the pandemic.”

A second lawsuit filed by Cruz and a co-plaintiff against the D229 board and Gov. J.B. Pritzker challenging the indoor use of face masks by students, staff and visitors in school buildings was tossed Tuesday for failing to prove claims that the state mandate was “egregious” or “outrageous.” Cruz withdrew his first lawsuit, which he had filed as an elected member of the D229 when other board members complained it was filed without their authorization.

“[T]he court would be hard-pressed to conclude that the Governor’s executive order, which is intended to save lives during an ongoing public health crisis that has taken at least 800,000 American lives, amounts to egregious or outrageous conduct,” opined Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman of the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division.

The Dist. 229 board's legal counsel Burt Odelsonsaid Cruz’s more recent lawsuit was dismissed because it was “basically frivolous.”

“The judge was very powerful in making short order of it and motioned to dismiss,” Odelson said. “Unfortunately, it probably cost district taxpayers over $20,000.”

Odelson said he had instructed D229 board members not to comment on the second lawsuit until a decision was handed down by the court.

“The board members are disgusted that a fellow board member has used his own position for political interests,” the attorney said. “The meeting will be very interesting [Wednesday]. The board will be making a statement. The gloves are off.”

Last month, Cruz addressed Lyons Township High School Dist. 204 board members, chastising them for allowing some advocacy groups on campus and denying others, although he did not go into specifics. He also called for the removal of two young adult novels that touched upon teen sexuality from the school library.

In his statement, Cruz said he also plans to address the state’s COVID-19 protocols for schools on a local level during Wednesday's meeting, including making face masks optional, increasing mental health awareness, and more severe punishments for students fighting and spreading hate on social media.

Cruz is asking all concerned parents to attend the board meeting and make their voices heard.

“We are afraid to speak up for fear of being canceled,” the campaign statement said. “I say if standing up for kids gets you canceled, so be it. It’s time to look inward at the local level to address these items with.”

The Dist. 229 school board will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, at Oak Lawn Community High School, 9400 Southwest Highway.