Quincy School Board continues to hear mask complaints as classes begin

QUINCY – A smaller crowd turned out at Wednesday night’s Quincy School Board meeting a week after the Board voted to follow Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order mandating masks at Illinois Pre-K through 12 schools.

And while most members of the 25 or so person crowd remained defiant and didn’t wear masks at the meeting, Board President Sayeed Ali warned them that if they continue to attend Board meetings, or any other school functions, they will wear masks.

“It is what it is now…we took that vote,” Ali said as he addressed the audience. “I know most of you are not wear a mask, but we want to be as transparent as possible regarding masks. If a parent or adult at a school event is refusing to wear a mask, going against the rules right now, the board will take steps to bar that person from school grounds,” Ali said. “That means not being able to attend your child’s sporting event or music event or being able to show up to these board meetings to voice your concerns or displeasure.”

Board Member Richard McNay gave a report on the COVID numbers for the first day of school as 47 students were out with the virus along with five teachers and five staff members. On the first day of school last year, only four students had the virus. The highest single day case count of any day last school year was 41 students with COVID on November 13.

Tory Kaufmann, who has a daughter in Quincy Public Schools, said he fears that masks will become a staple in his child’s school experience.

“We’re getting to the point where you’re going to indoctrinate kids they have to wear a mask for so many years that they’re going to think they can’t go to school without a mask on,” Kaufmann said.

Patrick Barry also had concerns about mask mandates being “ongoing for years” and he said and his wife had removed their two children from the Quincy Public School System and enrolled them in a Christian school.

Jen Wiemelt asked why medical exemptions weren’t being allowed regarding masks and questioned why the School Board had virtually no public debate on the mask subject during the open session of Board meetings.

Roni Quinn accused Quincy Superintendent Roy Webb of putting forth disinformation about a poll given to teachers about their feelings on masks. Quinn said she was told the results of the poll were 80/20 in favor of making masks optional and Webb said they were closer to 50/50 on the topic.

Webb pulled up his phone to show the results of the poll, which were slightly in favor of making masks optional, but being just above 50 percent.

Quinn also complained about a lack of transparency and the School Board’s lack of public discourse on the mask subject while the meetings are in open session and she said she intended to submit Freedom of Information Act requests on all board members and Webb’s emails on the topic.

In other action, the Board put the 2021-2022 school budget up for public display. Chief of Business Operations Ryan Whicker said the $85.7 million budget is balanced and will be voted on at the Board’s September 22 meeting.

The budget includes a 3 percent salary increase, a 1 percent increase in the district’s contribution to Teacher Retirement Service funds, a 0.5 percent in the district’s Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund contribution and a 10 percent increase in the district’s health insurance policy.