Chaos in Collinsville

Written by Virginia Kruta, columnist at The Daily Wire

Over the weekend, I got an email from my kids’ school district informing me that five families had filed a lawsuit over the school mask mandate. In that email, we were informed that the judge decided in favor of the plaintiffs and made a blanket statement about how masking was impacting children. We were also informed that beginning Monday, the students whose families were plaintiffs in the lawsuit could attend school without a mask. All other students would still be required to wear masks.

So on Monday night, I joined nearly 100 other students and parents at the school board meeting, where a number of parents stood up to address the board. What I learned then was that because of the court’s ruling, a number of the surrounding school districts had adopted a “mask optional” policy — but ours had not. They had not given a reason other than their desire to “not take sides.” They did not provide any answers when asked whether they would consider going to a mask-optional policy if case numbers dropped to an acceptable level — nor did they offer any information about what an acceptable level might look like.

Parents whose children attended school maskless pursuant to the ruling were quickly segregated and given two choices: call their parents and go home or quietly do their homework alone in the library. Either way, they were not allowed to participate in their classes or be around the other students.
One father said his four-year-old was told to put his mask back on, or he would not be allowed to play with or talk to his friends. Another father nearly broke down as he explained that his child, a kindergartener, had never seen her classmates’ faces. Another father mentioned his military service, saying that he had fought for freedom and defended people from tyranny, adding, “It’s disturbing to see tyranny creeping into our institutions.

One woman read from the Constitution, reminding the school board that their power came from the consent of the governed. “We do not consent,” she said.
One of the final speakers was an immigrant from Bosnia, who referenced the wartorn country his family fled when he was in the fifth grade. He warned everyone that complying with the little things would open the door for the government to impose more restrictions and more mandates.

But while he was speaking, members of the school board made it clear that they were finished listening. The board president attempted to gavel out the meeting and go to a closed session but quickly gave up as the man politely but forcefully kept talking. Two female members of the board got up, grabbed their coats, and began to leave — but were rebuked by the board president and told to sit back down after some of the parents pushed back, commenting on how disrespectful they were being.

The school board hasn’t changed anything (yet). But I will say this: I have seen a lot of moms going viral for standing up at their school board meetings and demanding a say in how their children are treated and what they are taught in public schools. And that is great — provided they are respectful and not violent, we need more of that. But what really impressed me at this meeting was the number of dads who showed up, stood up, and spoke up for their kids. We need more of that too.

Parents waiting outside the CUSD Unit 10 office in Collinsville ahead of the schools board meeting on this insanity. https://t.co/2bFuEaFXUW
— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) February 7, 2022

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— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) February 8, 2022

https://t.co/67M7EjLwZC
— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) February 8, 2022