CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Most parents who spoke during an online news conference today made it very clear Monday morning that they are not pleased that the Chicago Public Schools system unilaterally decided to go mask-optional next week.
However, one person who spoke appeared to be cut-off after two minutes after favoring an option.
Parent Jesu Estrada was not the only one blasting Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS CEO Pedro Martinez for, in many of the parents’ view, catering to white, affluent parents who want a mask choice.
“To remove the mask mandate is criminal. It’s racist and it makes absolutely no sense,” Estrada said.
CPS said it’s making masks optional starting Monday because COVID-19 levels citywide have dropped, that 91% of CPS staff and 49% of eligible students are fully vaccinated. CPS also continued to “encourage” students and staff to wear masks, even when masks are optional.
Parent Laurie Viets said during the Activate Chicago Parents news conference, however, “What they do is criminal. They do not keep us safe. They do not keep their staff safe and now we’re asking teachers to do one more thing and guide the conversation about personal choice.”
But, when Christine, who identified herself as a substitute teacher, spoke about masks hindering learning and making children afraid, she appeared to be cut off after two minutes.
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“For people who are that afraid and you’re vaccinated, I honestly don’t understand it. The vaccine was put there to give you protection,” she said.
Christine also said, “We are causing fear in our children that’s displaced and the parents are doing it to the kids and the teachers are doing it to the kids ‘cause I see it. It’s wrong. There’s nothing wrong, if you want to go to school [and] wear your mask, wear your mask.”
Moderator Brenna O’Brien was asked about Christine being cut-off and she reasoned Christine was given a chance to give her perspective.
O’Brien also said she thinks there are 10% on each side of the pro and anti-mask sides with 80% in the middle who’ll do whatever CPS suggests. O’Brien said she favors having CPS require COVID-19 vaccinations of all students in the next academic year.
She said the CPS system should have abided by its agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union that calls for mandatory mask-wearing through the end of this school year. The announcement yesterday she said, “causes more chaos. It causes more stress. It was not a collaboration with the union and it was not a collaboration with parents.”
One speaker, Dr. Howard Ehrman, the grandfather of a CPS student, called for parents to pull their children out of school until school officials reversed themselves and reinstituted a mask mandate.
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