View the public comment portion of the 7/22/21 D158 School Board Special Meeting below.
Our Parent Union composed and released a joint statement which was read by one parent. This is the first speaker presented during public comments.
8:01 – Concerns regarding district’s legal right to enforce mask and testing mandates. Outlines many of the Illinois and school codes and asking board to simply follow the law on masks and testing, which states that discrimination and forcefully using medical devices or health examinations.
Our Parent Union suggested making masks optional and having the district use their COVID relief funds to purchase N95 masks for those students that want them, giving a science-backed solution for the parents who want virus protection. Please choose this option which satisfies both sides of this issue.
————–
18:25 – Mother states infections are on the rise and more transmissible variants are coming. Asks board to abide by advice to mask children for the 2021-22 school year until every child has the opportunity to be vaccinated.
22:02 – Mother reads a letter from the state’s attorney regarding mask mandates stating that they are not needed in school and that fear-based closures result in lost educational time. Asks that they not mandate masks for healthy children over a small number of worried individuals.
26:26 – Father: “We can’t come here and ask questions and get answers from you” and it leads to everyone being divided and “leading to a lot of mistrust.” The masks have become a game, as we know they do not do a thing to prevent the spread. He and his wife have pulled their children out of the district due to indecision and hope the district can get back on track.
30:55 – Mother discusses LIGHT program inconsistencies and how it applies to her special needs daughter. Points out that they are an at-risk family with a spouse who is a paramedic and her Down Syndrome daughter had a waiver to go to school unmasked last year. She and her classmates are at risk but were allowed to unmask last year, so the board should do the right thing for all.
34:56 – Father cut family trip short to speak after he heard board encouraged giving pro-mask parents another opportunity to speak tonight. He says life is not without risk and children have resilient immune systems. Masks are all for show and imagery unless they are N95s.
38:00 – The board announces that they will hold a vote on masks at the Committee of the Whole meeting next week. Our Parent Union decided to attend this meeting on 8/5/21 and speak as well.
View the public comment portion of the 7/15/21 D158 School Board Meeting below.
Note: We had a very large number of Parent Union speakers at this meeting (36) representing concerns over masking children for the 2021-2022 school year. There were so many comments that the board took a break midway through and resumed later in this six-hour meeting.
1:29 – Mother points out that everyone has been unmasked and traveling all summer long, seeing friends and family. “The board told us to do our research, and we have. When will you answer our questions? Do what you have been elected to do.”
1:32 – 10-year old student says that it is difficult to breathe with masks on, especially for physical activity. Asks why school is making parents’ decisions for him.
1:33 – Mother says that she pulled her children from D158 during pandemic so they could attend school in person elsewhere. She is still very concerned about what is going on in schools teaching race-critical and anti-police views in school literature. Principal Belin wrote to her that the black population is underrepresented in school and needs their voices amplified. Asks to stop teaching them social justice.
1:38 – Mother says she withdrew her child to send her to a private school last year so she would be unmasked. She does not want her child masked again for this year. She is against critical race theory being taught in our schools.
1:41 – Mother says the district is the reason they moved here, but District 158 is no longer a leader. “I’m angry. I’m angry that you guys choose to run your school in fear, fear from upsetting the minority. The majority of us demand and deserve our freedom of choice when it comes to our kids.”
1:44 – Mother moved to Huntley because of great reviews of schools. She is concerned about critical race theory, sex ed, and masks. Offers facts on surgical masks and cloth masks offering no effectiveness against this virus, but they do raise chances of infection.
1:47 – Mother is concerned about permissions needed from pandemic. Permission slips are needed for field trips, medication, but they do not take parent concerns into account with mask choice.
1:50 – Mother points out that prior to Covid, masks were not asked to be worn by our children during flu seasons. Points out McHenry County has a 99% Covid recovery rate. Reads notes from D158 children’s opinions on wearing masks in class.
1:54 – Mother states that videos on how to create false positives with saliva SHIELD tests have been viewed more than 6000 times. CDC wrote this week that for every 1 million people vaccinated, just 1 life will be saved. Holds up surgical mask and reads from packaging, which states that this mask “does not protect from Covid or any other virus.”
1:58 – Mother states children’s risk of dying from Covid is %0.00195 and asks the board to leave the masking decision up to the parents. Lists side effects of wearing masks and how they carry 11 different pathogens after one day of wearing.
2:02 – Mother is concerned about discrimination between vaccinated and unvaccinated students. Discusses child with ADHD and how family traveled all summer without illness. Teachers need to be free to teach and not to be mask police.
2:05 – Mother is talking about discrimination and darkness/depression around children during pandemic. Does not want kids segregated based on vaccine status and is worried about child suicide.
2:08 – Mother reads another parent’s public comments who could not attend tonight. This parent moved out of Chicago to get away from CPS but feels our school system here is declining. Also discusses effects of wearing masks with runny noses.
2:13 – Mother says she has written multiple letters regarding Covid which have been ignored, so she is bringing attention of lack of security for Chromebooks which is allowing students to view adult content.
2:17 – Mother wants mask-optional return to school without Covid vaccination required. She discusses D158’s new equity committee and initiative and how it was designed to stop discrimination, but the school wants to discriminate against unvaccinated kids.
2:21 – Young student asks board to waive masks for fall and shares her previous experiences wearing masks in class.
2:23 – Father moved to Huntley specifically for this school district. Points out that district has $100 million budget and needs oversight. States that there is no diversity of thought on the board. He filed a FOIA for credit card expenses and is unhappy with how the district is spending money. Points out the left turn the district’s programming is taking, which is alienating half the community.
2:27 – Mother points out that “D158 has silenced a lot of parents in this district.” Reads rules for public comment and points out that this is the first live board meeting that the public can attend since Covid restrictions were lessened. Board agenda says public comments could be read publicly tonight, which was previously the protocol before returning to in-person meetings, but tonight the board decided not to read them. She is concerned about discrimination against the non-vaccinated, and she is vaccinated herself but will not vaccinate the children as they are not at risk.
2:32 – Mother has questions about contact tracing and mask wearing. She is also concerned about children who choose not to get vaccinated and points out vaccinated can still spread Covid, so how can they be discriminated against?
2:35 – Father points out the CDC recommendations are just that – recommendations. He doesn’t want the children discriminated against who choose to mask or not, or vaccinate or not. He challenges the board to be bold and authentic.
Board breaks from public comments to conduct other business.
4:26 – Meeting resumes. Mother says fear has driven every decision in the district. Now that we know the masks provide no protection, she does not want her children masked and said she has suffered from “air hunger” where her body does not think she is taking in enough air when masked. She also discusses the move of the LIGHT program children from HHS to Marlowe.
4:29 – Former HHS student reads a letter from a father who was unable to be present to speak today. He urges the board to listen to the taxpayers and parents and allow the children to be mask-free in school. She then discusses the effects of masking on her younger brother getting nosebleeds with the mask on.
4:32 – Father discusses masks and Covid policies being counterproductive. We were told “We’re all in this together,” but now the district wants to separate vaccinated from unvaccinated, and it is discriminatory to only mask the unvaccinated kids.
4:35 – Father asks the board to make the right, bold decision as infection levels are down to pre-pandemic. Points out curriculum changes in the school to point out racial and political differences instead of promoting how we are all together in a community.
4:38 – Mother pulled child out of school last year to go to private so her child could continue in-person learning. She wants normalcy and unmasked children without issues of segregation, which can be considered mental abuse.
4:39 – Father asks board to have courage, reflect on it, and take to heart what the parents are asking for.
4:41 – Father moved to this area for this district and cites numerous statistics of the massive surge of deaths that did not come. Discusses Sweden’s no-lockdown approach and notes that statistics note we are now technically at herd immunity. Masks build up Co2.
4:46 – Father notes that there is a palpable difference in the curriculum between what older, graduated children learned and his younger children bringing home an anti-American sentiment from school. Felt school from home was a blessing in disguise as he heard comments tainting what our country stands for. He feels we’re coming out of one pandemic but entering another one – equitable outcomes pushing CRT.
4:51 – Father says he has been behind the board the whole way believing once everything is safe enough, they would open up. Feels students need to be unmasked so they can benefit from facial expressions, inflections, and interactions. Discusses the low self esteem and also the low risk of the virus.
4:55 – Mother immigrated to the USA for freedoms – freedom of speech, religion, and choice. She wants parents to be able to decide, not to have someone else making these decisions because that is what our country is based on.
5:01 – Mother says her main concern is critical race theory being taught in classrooms. She does not want her children to be told they should be ashamed of themselves because of their white skin, or that they subliminal white supremacists, or are oppressors. Her children were raised to treat people well, and it will go out the window if they are brainwashed into feeling guilt.
5:06 – Local pastor says he is praying for the board to make the right decision for the community.
