Governor Pritzker's current school mask mandate puts local school boards in a difficult position. Regardless of where you stand regarding masks, strong disciplinary action against students who refuse to wear a mask will result in a massive loss of student attendance to the public school system and disenfranchisement with education as a whole. Local boards are very limited in their recourse to push back on the mask mandate, however, they can control how this mandate is enforced. Additionally, many parents are threatening to withdrawal their students from the public school system should their kids be forced to wear a mask.

Research in Decision Architecture shows that social pressure is a much better way of gaining compliance than educational or government action. ("Nudge" Sunstein and Thaler et al. 2008)

We are asking the Plainfield Illinois District 202 Board of Education to issue the least amount of discipline possible against students who refuse to wear a mask. This would be a simple letter home telling parents of the students refusal. Many schools already practice this form of discipline for school attendance. The purpose of this would be the following:

• Retain school attendance for families who are against the mask mandate
• Allow local boards to adhere to and enforce the mandate
• Apply social pressure to families who are against the mandate, instead of educational pressure and legal pressure

Please help us bridge the gap on these issues, protect our families and bring unity to our community.