Students Walkout After Mask Ultimatum From School Principal

• Students at two Chicago area high schools protested their district’s mask mandate for the second day in a row Tuesday after staging a walkout on Monday in response to an ultimatum from school leadership to either wear a mask or leave class, according to reports.
• Maskless students at Vernon Hills High School (VHHS) and Libertyville High School (LHS) walked out of school in protest of the administrators’ insistence that they wear masks for class, according to reports. On Friday, a Sangamon County Circuit Court judge issued a temporary restraining order against Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask requirement.
• VHHS students who would not don their masks met with school leadership to explain why they chose not to mask up, according to a statement posted to “Students Voices Unmasked.” Students at VHHS and LHS were told they could either wear a mask to class, “be removed from school for the day as a mental health day” or do their classwork in the school gym.

Students at two Chicago area high schools protested their district’s mask mandate for the second day in a row Tuesday after staging a walkout on Monday in response to an ultimatum from school leadership to either wear a mask or leave class, according to reports.

Maskless students at Vernon Hills High School (VHHS) and Libertyville High School (LHS) walked out of school in protest of the administrators’ insistence that they wear masks for class, according to local reports. On Friday, a Sangamon County Circuit Court judge issued a temporary restraining order against Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask requirement.

The lawsuit, filed by over 700 parents and 146 school districts in the state of Illinois, is challenging state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions, including a mask mandate, according to a district statement. The lawsuit listed Community High School District 128 as a defendant.

On Sunday, District 128 said it would “continue to enforce the mask mandate and the quarantine restrictions for all students, staff and visitors as outlined in the District 128 Culture of Care Comprehensive Plan,”  according to a district statement. The quarantine measures and mask mandate will apply to all students with the exception of those named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

VHHS students who would not don their masks met with school leadership to explain why they chose not to mask up, according to a statement posted by “Students Voices Unmasked.” Students at VHHS and LHS were told they could either wear a mask to class, “be removed from school for the day as a mental health day” or do their classwork from the school gym.

Students at VHHS and LHS said they are exercising their rights as U.S. citizens to “make a stand” by protesting District 128’s mask mandate, according to their statement.

“We respect the District’s position,” the statement said. “But we also disagree with it. Most of us in this group have spent most of our high school lives behind these masks. For the younger students, their entire high school experience has been covered in masks. We believe it is time for this to end.”

The students said they want to be able to see each others’ faces and “bring back a sense of normalcy” to enjoy what is left of their high school career.

“We believe that if this were truly about our health, they would also be considering our mental health,” the statement from the students said. “But we question whether this is truly about health anymore.”

The students said that most of them are vaccinated and have had COVID-19, which provides them with natural immunity. They asked for the freedom to choose whether or not to wear a mask at school.

“We implore our District leaders, our School Board that we elected, and our administrators to reconsider this position as soon as possible,” the student statement read.