West Cook News

About 40 River Forest adults and students rallied outside River Forest School District 90 administration offices on Tuesday, calling on the Board of Education to end mandatory masking. 

The "Show Me Your Smile Rally" was coordinated with social media, asking local school boards for help, and intending to reach any parents of Illinois students still looking for change in their school's masking policy. 

"We’re running out of ways to explain this nonsensical double standard of school masking," Meredith Natale, a River Forest parent attending the rally, said. "Our children see what’s happening; parochial schools blocks away are mask-optional, nearly 200 districts all across the state have changed policy, sports arenas are packed, life is resuming — yet our children in River Forest District 90 sit 6 feet apart and attend outdoor recess with masks on." 

Barb Hickey, River Forest District 90 School Board President | River Forest District 90

Behind the administration fence, the painted squares on the parking lot spaced six feet apart mark where students sit masked during fall recess.  

"As parents, we will not accept this any longer. It is not science, It is not fair and we will not stop until every parent has the freedom to choose what is best for their child," Natale said.

Following the rally, Citizens of River Forest posted a petition directed to Board President Barb Hickey calling “on the District 90 Board of Education to hold an open and special meeting no later than February 21st, 2022 where discussion occurs, questions and answers are heard by the community, and a vote of the Board of Education will be taken on whether to end the districts policy of mandating masks”.

The Change.org petition currently has over 200 signers and is growing. 

"The River Forest District 90 Administrators, Teachers and Staff have worked tirelessly to continue their work educating children while implementing measures, including the use of masks, to mitigate potential effects of Covid-19.  Still, the Board of Education has yet to discuss an end to the mask mandate despite changes in laws and directives, and the number of elementary and middle schools that already have done so," the petition reads.  

Hickey has not shown any signs that she and other board members will be lifting the school system's mask mandate. This is despite a downstate judge's ruling noting mask mandates in schools is unconstitutional. 

Mitigation measures are stringent at government-run entities in River Forest. 

The Forest Park District notably held a Valentine's Day-inspired wine tasting despite disallowing parents from watching their kids play basketball indoors. Over the weekend, two parents were photographed huddled in the 18 degree weather outside, watching their kids play through a window as they were not allowed inside the gymnasium.