BETHALTO, Ill. — The Bethalto School District canceled Friday's classes due to ongoing "disruption" over the district's continuing mask requirement in schools.
In a letter to parents, Superintendent Jill Griffin said the district would use an emergency day to cancel classes on Friday, Feb. 11. She said school leaders are "exploring avenues to make masks optional" after a judge's ruling last week, but wanted to ensure the plan protected immunocompromised or high-risk people in the district.
"We wanted to make masks optional responsibly and in a way that supports all of our staff, students and families regardless of opinion," she said in the letter. "However, the disruption has become too great."
The letter did not specify what kind of disruption was taking place but said the district has received emails from families saying they were worried about students' safety due to posts on social media and community chatter. A separate letter from the principal of Civic Memorial High School said there was a protest scheduled for Friday over the district's masking policy. That letter was to announce the cancelation of the 8th-Grade Course Fair and Tour at the school.
Becky Depping is one of many parents who got the message on the internet that high school students and some moms and dads plan to hold a silent protest against the district's ongoing mask mandate.
"Some are angry with what's going on," she said. "A lot of people, parents are out there saying ‘let’s just be kind and lets work with the schools and let them make the right choices for our kids.’"
Depping said the 8th-Grade Course Fair and Tour was previously scheduled for last Friday, but was moved due to the snow. She said she's disappointed it's been scrapped again.
A central Illinois judge issued on Feb. 3 a temporary restraining order that prevents school districts statewide from requiring students to wear masks in classrooms, saying Gov. J.B. Pritzker overstepped his legal authority with a mask mandate that has angered many parents and teachers alike.
Pritzker had harsh words for the judge's decision and quickly urged the state's attorney general's office to appeal, suggesting the ruling could spark another surge in the virus and force schools to close their doors and revert to online classes. Attorney General Kwame Raoul agreed with Pritzker and said he would be appealing the decision.
In her letter to parents, Superintendent Griffin said the district has a board meeting Monday night where they will announce the new mitigation plan.
She said classes will resume Monday morning with masks required to give the district enough time to put the new mitigation measures in place.
"We ask that, if you disagree with masks in school, you consider wearing a mask for one more day to prevent further disruption to the school district," Griffin said in the letter.
In the Metro East, some schools, like the East St. Louis School District, have kept mask requirements in place. In a statement, the Collinsville School District said "the children of the five families in our district who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit will no longer be required to wear masks or be excluded from school if they are determined to be a close contact to a positive case. The ruling does not apply to all students at this time."