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Stevenson High students' mask protest Friday got unruly, officials say

About 50 students and 40 parents gathered Friday morning outside Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire to protest the school's mask mandate.

Superintendent Eric Twadell and Principal Troy Gobble wrote in a letter to the community that the protesters made some students feel afraid and unsafe.

"Some students were verbally assaulted by parent and student protesters while entering and exiting the building during a morning passing period," the administrators said.

"Additionally, we witnessed parents and students banging on windows by the Point entrance."

Twadell and Gobble wrote that staff members from the student services division were available to talk to students who wanted to speak about the protest.

Tensions have been rising in suburban schools after a downstate judge on Feb. 4 put a temporary restraining order on mask requirements affecting nearly 170 school districts.

Other large high schools in Lake County have seen similar protests this week.

On Wednesday morning, about 70 students at Warren Township High School's Almond campus and about two dozen students at Mundelein High opted to join the picket line, officials said.

Students at Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools have protested several times during the week.

Students and parents demonstrate outside Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire on Friday to protest the school district's mask requirement. Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago
Stevenson High School officials say about 90 people gathered outside the Lincolnshire school Friday to protest the school district's mask mandate. Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago
Opponents of mask requirements inside schools had a plane fly a banner expressing their view Friday in the sky over Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago
  Students and parents gathered outside Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire Friday morning to protest the mask mandate. Students at several other Lake County high schools have been protesting mask mandates all week. Russell Lissau/rlissau@dailyherald.com, 2016
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