Masks At School Anger Orland Officials: 'Do Your Job'

ORLAND PARK, IL — The Village Board of Trustees gathered Friday afternoon to call on Illinois legislators to address mitigations enforced to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The approved resolution calls on the Illinois General Assembly to reconvene and address the health, safety and welfare of Illinois residents in light of COVID-19 "by exercising its valid authority to legislate." The board is calling on legislators to reexamine the governor's mandate requiring universal masking in schools, regardless of vaccination status, and allow parents to make masking and vaccination choices for their children.

The board unanimously approved the resolution that asks legislators to "provide fact based mitigation measures with reasonable guidelines designed to promote the health and wellness of Illinois residents."

Mayor Keith Pekau presented slides on hospital rates, COVID-19 spikes and age groups singling out children, saying, "We made the kids the boogeyman here."

"We're going to have variants of COVID for the rest of all of our lives, like we have variants of the flu, [and] we are going to have more variants. It's just something we have to learn to live with," Pekau said. "This is all done to flatten the curve, and protect the health care system ... It's not about the kids. Why are we making mitigation factors about our kids."

Pekau went on to say that the second leading cause of death among kids is suicide. According to the mayor, suicide deaths among teenagers is "almost 10 times what COVID is."

"We're taking these actions to kids, [and] we locked them out of school for a year," Pekau said. "Now we're forcing them to wear masks, why are we doing this to our children? This makes no sense to me."

Trustees spoke out against the mask mandate for children as well. Trustee Cynthia Nelson Katsenes said the measures are dramatically affecting the mental health of children.

"Just look at the figures and suicide. If that doesn't get a tear in your eye, I don't know what does," Katsenes said. "We have to protect our children physically, understand that. What about mentally? Where's the measure on that?"

Katsenes went on to say, "Somebody needs to stand up for the rights of these kids who are suffering in ways that sometimes cannot be measured before the outcome is too late."

Trustee Michael Milani said the measures are not based on science.

"This mandate requires masking regardless of vaccination to require masks for all children in schools, and to possibly force state employees to be vaccinated, and it's just ludicrous," Milani said. "It's not based on facts, it's not based on science, it's not even common sense at this point."

Pekau said over the past year he has been sent emails, being labeled "many things," and even had some say they hope his family dies of COVID-19.

Residents spoke out on the matter, such as Shannon Olson, who asked legislators to "do [their] job."

"My child is 14, and it will be her first time in high school," Olson said. "She is terrified that she will not be able to learn from teachers with masks on. She's terrified to not be able to make friends in school because they have to wear masks. What about her? What about her mental health?"

Teacher Barb Cachey told the board she wore a mask all year, and liked it.

"The children never complained. Not once," Cachey said. "We had a very successful, awesome school year without missing a single day ... I'm actually on the front line, working with these children every single day ... Right now, it's working. Maybe next year we won't need them."

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