Parents rally against school mask mandates in Crystal Lake
A day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved McHenry County to the "high" level of COVID-19 transmission, residents rallied Saturday at the intersection of Route 14 and Main Street in Crystal Lake against the state's mask mandate for students.
When several local school districts initially chose to make face masks optional for students, "we thought we won," said Crystal Lake resident Ame Greco, who organized the rally.
Then, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on Aug. 4 that all students, regardless of vaccination status, will have to wear masks in school because of the continued spread of COVID-19, including the virus' highly infectious delta variant.
If districts fail to enforce the state's mask mandate, they could lose state recognition and become ineligible to participate in any Illinois High School Association or Illinois Elementary School Association athletic events.
Greco said she and other parents who felt similarly had been going to school board meetings all summer, and protesting in the Schaumburg area as well.
"We've had enough," she said. "We've spoken to school boards, they're not willing to listen."
Tom Dillon of Prairie Grove said the mask mandate is "all politics." His two kids don't like the masks, Dillon said, and say it's hard to breathe in them when playing soccer.
"Schools should make masks optional," he said. "They can send their kids to school with masks on. The rest of the kids don't need them. ... They don't need to be telling me or my sons or any other kids, any other families what they should do."
Several people at the rally said they were concerned about the health effects of children wearing masks.
In an FAQ on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's website, the CDC notes that carbon dioxide levels breathed in by mask wearers do not rise. Though carbon dioxide molecules are small enough to pass through cloth masks, the respiratory droplets that carry the virus that causes COVID-19 are much larger than carbon dioxide so they cannot pass as easily, according to the CDC.
Health officials have been adamant about the need for masking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, especially since those 12 and under are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. As the number of Illinois children infected with COVID-19 continues to rise, state data says younger children are a growing - but still small - percentage of those hospitalized.
Data released by the Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday showed 1,678 cases in children 5 to 11 years old for the week ending Aug. 6.
COVID-19 cases among children ages 5-11 have increased 1,453% since the week ending June 26, the raw total of cases is back up at a level unseen since the end of January, as previously reported by Shaw Media.
In McHenry County, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 100 per 100,000 residents as of Friday, meaning it is now considered to have a high transmission of the virus.
Although those rallying against the mandate found support from passing cars who honked and gave them a thumbs-up, they also received opposition, with one person giving them the finger. Another person shouted: "You won't have to wear masks when you're dead."
A couple counterprotesters were across the street. One of them, Jamie Tyeptanar of McHenry, said she wasn't out there for the anti-mask mandate ralliers.
"We're out here for the people who are confused and who don't really know what to think," Tyeptanar said. "Their opinion is not the only opinion out here. Masks save lives. Trust your doctor. Don't get your information from conspiracy theorists."
"We can't have nice things because these people won't wear masks or get vaccinated," she added. "We can't get back to normal until everybody does their part."
Crystal Lake resident Richard Mollitor said his fight isn't necessarily against people wearing masks.
"It's about you being free to wear the mask if you'd like to, and if I don't want to, or if I feel my children would not benefit, and it would be a detriment to them, I should be able to have that freedom," Mollitor said. "This country is done with masks. We were obedient and compliant for over 15 months shutting down. No more. We have to move on with our lives."