SHS students walk-out to end mask mandate

Stevenson High School students walked-out of classes Friday morning in protest of District 125's mask mandate for in person instruction.

Parents and other members of the district first rallied at the entrance to Stevenson on Rte 22, who were later joined by several dozen students who walked out of the school to protest, took off their masks, and then attempted to reenter to school building to return to classes by were prevented by school administrators.

The event was covered by by NBC and WGN who recorded several insightful interviews with parents and students alike who attended.

The Vernon Township Republicans is proud to have had some of our own members, which many of whom are Patriot parents, grandparents or students themselves, participate in this event.

Our organization was committed to a return to in-person instruction as fast as possible at the outset of the pandemic, and we maintain that as we have learned more about COVID-19 and the relative efficacy of face coverings (particularly those not up to N95 standard - allowable at SHS) that the mandate is inappropriate and should be ended as soon as possible.

This demonstration comes less than a week after a Springfield Judge Raylene Grischow ruled that Governor JB Pritzker's mask and vaccine mandates violated the due process rights of students and staff across Illinois.