Fremd parent says daughter was suspended for a day for not wearing a mask

A Fremd High School parent said she is exploring legal options after her daughter was suspended Thursday for one day for not wearing a mask.

Palatine resident Sheri Urlacher said her 14-year-old daughter NaTallia, a freshman at Fremd, came to school without a mask. After she was offered a mask, she took it to her classroom, where she put it on but kept it under her chin, "because I told her don't ever put the mask on and restrict your breathing," Sheri said.

NaTallia was then taken out of class, her mother said.

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 limited comment to an issued statement that said: "As a matter of public safety, we are required to enforce the State of Illinois' school mask mandate to minimize the risk of COVID virus transmission. A student's refusal to wear a mask poses a potential threat to the safety of other students and staff as we return to full in-person instruction."

District 211 is one of several suburban school districts that had planned a mask-optional policy but reversed course when Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an executive order Aug. 4 mandating masks inside school buildings. Many parents around the suburbs disagree with the mandate and have protested to school boards.

"We live a healthy lifestyle. My girls are both elite athletes, so they know what healthy living is," Sheri Urlacher said. "We're confident that our immune systems are intact and working properly, so we don't wear masks."

NaTallia returned to school Friday. She pulled the mask over her chin but not her nose, her mother said, and she didn't get sent home.