(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A southwest suburban Catholic school principal put on paid leave for jumping the gun on the Archdiocese’s decision on a new masking policy says he would love to be allowed to return to work.
Jacob “Doc” Mathius said it was “absolutely humbling” that dozens of children and parents demonstrated Tuesday afternoon outside Queen of Martyrs School along 103rd Street in Evergreen Park after he was suspended for saying the school was now mask-optional.
Mathius said he decided to take a stand because he thought students were being more harmed by wearing masks than they would be risking getting COVID.
Many of the school’s approximately 246 students had trouble wearing masks, he said. Their speech was negatively affected, he said, and they were uncomfortable wearing them.
“It got to the point where I thought it was more harmful, more toxic for my kids to be facing that than with the Omicron variant,” he said.
Mathius said he had an epiphany himself: “One of our pre-K classes was taking a restroom break near my office. Little girl walks out of the restroom without her mask on. I didn’t know who it was. A beautiful little girl. I didn’t know who it was. She put her mask on—I knew who it was.”
Mathius says he’s pleased the Archdiocese of Chicago has decided to change its mask policy. Starting Thursday, Queen of Martyrs — along with Catholic schools in Lake County and suburban Cook County, other than Oak Park and Evanston — will be allowed to be mask-optional.
No one from the Archdiocese has reached out to him about his future job status but he’s hoping to be able to return to work, Mathius said.
“I’m being paid, so, you know what, I certainly don’t look at it as a paid vacation, but I’m anxious to get back to my kids and their families if that’s what they want to have happen.”
Mathius has been principal of Queen of Martyrs School since 2020, after working for 43 years at nearby Brother Rice High School.
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