Rally for Choice: "They Try and Keep Us Enclosed With Masks."
Chaotic demonstration at Stevenson High School example of growing chasm between stubborn district leaders and students/parents pushing for change
A week of rallies across Chicagoland culminated in the wild events that took place at Stevenson High School in north suburban Lincolnshire Friday.
There, with a WGN-TV helicopter overhead broadcasting live, hundreds gathered to rally against continued enforcement by the district of unlawful public health mitigations that include forced masking.
“The school is full of shit!” yelled one student as he walked out of school a little after 9 a.m.
“Set them free…set them free!” chanted those in the crowd in front of the school’s main entrance off of Half Day Rd.
Organized as a student “walk out,” the events at Stevenson were flipped from “walk in” rallies earlier in the week at Vernon Hills High School, Warren Township High School and others.
(At the other schools, students attempted to enter school while not wearing a mask, said to be a violation of schools’ COVID-19 mitigation guidelines.)
At Stevenson, students entered the building for the 8:30 a.m. start of the school day by complying with the district’s forced masking policy.
“We decided to stay outside of class,” sophomore Jackson Wolfe said. “When everyone is ready, we’ll just walk out.”
And ‘walk out’ they did.
The symbolism of the walk out, the defiance of oppressive policies, the images splattered all over social media, marks a seminal moment in the movement to remove unlawful restrictions. The fact students – the most impacted by the imperious directives ordered by Illinois J.B Pritzker and executed by his lackey servants in public heath and education – are the ones on camera, displaying bravado and courage, represents another turning point.
Now, through all the demonstrations, they, the students, are finding comfort in giving voice to the forced ills first thrust upon them almost two years ago.
“I don’t see the point. If (the mask) is down here (below the chin) then what’s the point in wearing it at all?” sophomore Kevin Potempa said. “It doesn’t do anything anyway.”
“Schools reasoning for masking as a school policy makes no sense to me,” Wolfe said. “I think people should have a choice to wear or not wear.
“Everyone here would agree with me that we should have a choice.”
That’s just it – not everyone does. Not District 125 (Stevenson). It could have prevented the public relations debacle Friday with savvier and smarter leadership.
It could have accepted the the legal argument made in Judge Grishow’s Feb. 4 TRO ruling. It could have watched Gov. Pritzker’s Feb. 9 press conference and saw a politician weakening his hold on mandate-based governance. It could have paid mind to the negative publicity surrounding incidents at neighboring schools in Lake County earlier in the week.
Instead, Stevenson officials chose to remain obstinate. And they got what they deserved Friday.
Those in charge would have been better off classifying the day F.U.B.A.R. and sent everyone home.
Well after the ‘walk out’ demonstration had concluded, scores of students wandered around the massive campus, looking for unlocked doors with which to enter the building.
“They are not letting us in!” said a group of freshman near an entrance located on the east side of the building.
A few cars raced past, both with American flags decorating the vehicle. The national anthem blared through speakers.
“This day will live in infamy!” said one parent while remaining inside the car. “You are all heroes. Keep fighting!”
At another entrance on the school’s east side, another group attempted to enter through locked door.
A security guard told the students they must disperse as their presence was creating a “fire hazard.”
“But we can’t get in!” said a student.
It was two hours into the school day and none of the dozen or so students at the entrance had seen a minute of in-person learning that day.
“We want to go to school, but they are not listening,” said another student.
Eventually, a side door opens and students are allowed inside.
They are handed masks at the entrance. Some enter. Others turn away.
“I took a mental health day. It’s my fourth this month,” said a Stevenson freshman. “The mask causes my anxiety. I can’t put it on.”
Late Friday morning, Stevenson officials released a statement about Friday’s events.
A section of the statement, jointly signed by D125 superintendent Dr. Eric Twadell and principal Troy Gobble, states:
As always, we welcome the right and freedom of members of the community to assemble and express themselves. As issues like this arise, our top priority is always the safety and well-being of our students. As the morning unfolded, protestors moved from Route 22 to the Point at the front of the West Building.
Unfortunately, we then began receiving multiple reports from students who were afraid and felt unsafe. Some students were verbally assaulted by parent and student protesters while entering and exiting the building during a morning passing period.
A few things about this statement, six paragraphs in length, worth noting.
There’s no attempt to initiate any discussion around the causation of the event.
Painting those involved as “parent and student protestors.”
Accusations of “assault.”
The disingenuous way they affirmed the “right and freedom of members of the community to assemble and express themselves.”
What they really mean is they are favor of free expression as long as it fits the list of social justice causes approved by the district.
And they conveniently left out the numerous incidents of assault in their own classrooms by students towards maskless peers. I was told of just such an incident by a freshman parent while canvassing the campus Friday.
“Stevenson is a school about keeping a good image. (Friday) is not a good image for Stevenson,” Wolfe said. “They try and keep us enclosed with masks. They are going to try and keep this down, keep this contained.”
They failed to keep things down and contained. Shame on them.
Others are snuffing out potential similar demonstrations by having a sudden change of heart about forced masking.
Over the weekend, two of the largest school districts in DuPage County, Naperville 203 and Indian Prairie 204, announced mask optional policies.
This after contentious school board meetings and postings of locked out students made waves on social media platforms all last week.
Here’s the mask optional announcement by District 203:
Why the change of heart by school officials? In the span of a few days, did the virus weaken to the point of no longer being a threat to the community-at-large?
Of course not. Public health has nothing to do with it.
Friday, as I stood in the Stevenson parking lot, junior Linoy Manevich wandered over to enter the conversation I was having with a group of students.
“Everyone walks around the school with masks under their nose anyway so I don’t see the difference in not wearing them at all,” Manevich said. “Everyone choosing to wear them gets to care about their safety, but if we don’t wear them, what is their issue with it?”
She showed me her phone.
On the screen were the text messages from a group family chat. Manevich was receiving texts from family members who knew her to be part of the ‘walk out’ rally.
As Manevich stared at the screen, the famous song “We’re Not Going To Take It” by 1980’s glam rock band Twisted Sister played in the background.
“My dad is the one sending me hearts in the chat,” Manevich said. “My parents hate masks and are totally supportive.”
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So proud of these kids!
NEVER AGAIN.
Thank you for continuing to write about this most important issue!