To ensure that Students and Teachers can thrive in the school environment, we ask the Board of Education of Dwight Common School District #232 & Dwight Township High School District #230 to make it optional for students and staff to wear a face mask in classrooms and on school property.

Across the world, people can go to restaurants, stores, concerts, sporting events, etc. without being required to wear masks.  Classrooms in our Dwight schools resemble families more than a public setting consisting of strangers.  We owe it to our children and their teachers to stand up and say, “enough is enough.”  Given the low health risk to children posed by the school environment, we feel it is only right that the wearing of masks should be a personal choice made by families. Let the families decide if their children need to wear a mask or not. Don’t REQUIRE it! 

Public health authorities, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to be divided on if children of various ages should wear masks and when.  On Friday, 2/4/22, a central Illinois judge issued a temporary restraining order that prevents at least 146 school districts statewide from requiring students to wear masks in classrooms. The judge deemed the governor’s emergency rules related to masking, vaccinations, testing and quarantining for all school districts “null and void.” In a footnote, the judge said any district not named in the lawsuit may “govern themselves accordingly.” The implication is that it’s up to those school districts to decide whether to mandate COVID mitigations.

Our CHILDREN should be free to breathe sitting down at school. Students and staff should retain the right to choose for themselves whether wearing a face mask is necessary.  If you agree that masks should not be required in our schools, please sign the petition today!