La Salle-Peru suspends 16 students for not wearing masks, some Mendota students also protest

La Salle-Peru and Mendota high schools on Monday both decided to continue with the state’s COVID-19 guidelines regarding masks following a temporary restraining order issued by a Sangamon County Circuit Court last week that blocks nearly 170 school districts from enforcing mask requirements.

Neither school district was named in the litigation brought by Greenville attorney Thomas DeVore, but more than a dozen LaSalle-Peru students were suspended for not wearing a mask, the superintendent said.

Meanwhile, there were a handful of school districts, including Earlville and Seneca High School within La Salle County, that paused the state’s guidelines. The majority of school districts in the region, however, decided to maintain the status quo until court proceedings play out.

Streator High School elected to have a remote e-learning day Monday, until its board could meet later to talk about its policy going forward. Ottawa High School stuck with the state’s guidelines and reported no student protests Monday. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration are asking a state appellate court to set aside the court order from late Friday that blocked the mask and vaccine mandates.

A number of students in both schools used the return to the classroom to protest the districts’ decisions.

La Salle-Peru senior Elijah Arthurs said he was one of them. He said he showed up to school without a mask and was confronted by an administrator to wear one. Arthurs said he ignored the administrator and kept walking, but eventually was stopped. Arthurs said he was asked if he was not wearing a mask by choice, and said he told the administrator “yes.” Then Arthurs was told to go to the auditorium where other students who had chosen not to wear a mask were congregated, he said.

Arthurs said an administrator addressed those students and told them that by the district’s policy, they’d be given a one-day suspension and a 30-day social suspension if they chose not to wear a mask. A social suspension prevents students from participating in extra-curricular activities.

Students who chose not to wear a mask after the presentation were taken one-by-one to the administrator’s office, in which another discussion took place and their parents were called and explained the process.

Arthurs said he accepted the suspensions and is choosing not to wear a mask.

“I want my voice to be heard, and the voice of others,” said Arthurs, who added that he has not been suspended in his high school career. “I feel like there are more who want to stand up against the policy, but they are afraid.”

Arthurs said he is vaccinated and is not necessarily against wearing a mask but thinks it is a matter of public safety. He said he believes a mask should be an individual’s choice and believes the district has been inconsistent in implementing its policy, noting students at after-school and sporting events are not subject to the same scrutiny as during the school day.

“If you see pictures from a basketball game, several of the players have their masks below their chins,” Arthurs said.

Arthurs was not alone in his protest.

La Salle-Peru Superintendent Steve Wrobleski said 16 students, out of an enrollment of about 1,250 students, were suspended on Monday, noting all protests were peaceful. He said classes were not disrupted.

“I am an advocate for civil disobedience, but part of that lesson is being willing to accept the consequences,” said Wrobleski, who added that discussions took place between educators and students about their decisions.

Wrobleski said the board is asking for students and staff to be patient. The Illinois Appellate Court is expected to issue a ruling on or around Feb. 17 and more clarity will be provided to school districts then, he said.

“We’re asking everyone to take a breath and let the process take care of itself,” Wrobleski said. “There will be a lot more clarity for districts across the state once this has played out.”

Mendota High School Superintendent Jeff Prusator said there were some students Monday who decided not to wear a mask to class, but the disruption was minimal. Prusator said those students eventually agreed to wear their masks.

“We had good dialogue, and basically agreed to disagree,” Prusator said. “They wanted the school to make masks optional, and we were not named in that lawsuit. We have to wait to see what comes of the appellate decision, and that point, we can have those conversations and readjust if we have to.”

Wrobleski and Prusator said student and staff safety is the No. 1 priority. The administrators also said they understand students’ and staff’s frustration, because the pandemic is in its second year.

“We all want it to be over,” Prusator said.

Arthurs said Friday, however, was a flashpoint for him. He said he’d like more students to join him if they are frustrated by the mask guidelines.

“It’s time we’re given the option,” he said about wearing masks. “It’s time to make the change, because it’s gone on long enough.”