In case we haven’t met, hi, I’m Chris Beer.

My husband and I moved to Wilmette in 2011, and live in the Harper district with our 2 kids and mischievous lab pup. I started this petition with the purpose of showing our school board that many people in our community were in support of the expedited adoption of a mask-optional policy at D39 schools. The petition has no political affiliation. I started this petition and organized the rally/press coverage as a “one-man band.” While I don’t agree with our current universal masking policy in schools, I respect the D39 board for the time and service they give to our community. The intention of this petition was to give the D39 leadership a list of residents who support the option of removing masks in schools.

It’s unfortunate that there has been some misdirected attention toward me and toward this petition, saying that the petition is a show of disrespect of the time and energy given by the D39 school board.

Wilmette is a community of people who support volunteer efforts through gifts of time, talent and treasure. Many of us give generously to our local sports programs, nonprofit boards, and places of worship. We have this shared value of giving back. We give our time and effort on a voluntary basis with the common purpose to preserve, protect, and work together for the betterment of our community.

As D39 is actively seeking feedback from community members on D39 Reduced Mitigation Plan, don’t pass up the opportunity to share your opinion through their brief survey. Our school board is elected to make decisions on behalf of the community, but they don’t know what your opinion is unless you share that information.

Thanks for your support.

- Chris