PEORIA, Ill. — Parents and teachers who wanted to talk about school masking requirements were shut out as the Peoria Public Schools board meeting was abruptly canceled and rescheduled Tuesday night.
“We do have other business we do need to attend to, so if you can’t put on a mask I’m going to ask you again to please leave,” said School Board President Gregory Wilson.
More than a dozen parents and teachers showed up to the PPS board meeting to express their feelings on masking.
“I feel like everyone should have an option and choice,” said Charter Oak Primary teacher, Kahlia Metz.
But, the meeting was over before Metz had a chance to speak.
“This is crap. You guys copped a check for this. These are our children, our children,” one woman said at the meeting.
The meeting was rescheduled because a group of people refused to wear masks.
“I have a medical excuse,” one man said.
The group also asked the board to provide the law that says they need to wear masks in the building.
“Executive order 21-22 is still in place requiring masks for indoor public place in the state of Illinois,” Board Attorney Frazier Satterly replied.
Now, Metz and others at the meeting say they’re ready to sue over the district mask mandate.
“Which we don’t want to go into because again that’s tax money that’s going now into a lawsuit that could be going into our buildings and helping our students,” Metz said.
Peoria Public Schools will continue requiring masks until, “such time as our public health partners advise us that restrictions can be safely lifted.”
