Quincy School Board votes to uphold Webb’s recommendation to follow mask mandate

QUINCY — The Quincy School Board voted 5-2 on Wednesday morning to follow Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandate for pre K-12 students, which was also the recommendation of Quincy Superintendent Roy Webb.

Sayeed Ali, Shelley Arns, Rachel Petty, Carol Nichols and LaTonya Brock voted for the mandate. Richard McNay and Jim Whitfield opposed it.

About 100 people turned out for the special meeting, which was primarily dedicated to the mask issue. More than 20 people spoke during the public comment section of the meeting. More than 80 percent of the speakers opposed mandatory masks.

QPS officials had placed a clock similar to one used during sporting events and planned to follow a five-minute time limit. After the first speaker’s time elapsed, this happened:

The time limit was waived after that, and the horn was no longer used.

After the speakers were finished, McNay wanted to go into executive session, but he did not specify a reason. Members of the audience wanted to know why the School Board members would not discuss the issue in public. Board members did not engage on the matter.

When the Board went into executive session, it was to discuss personnel matters and no further action was taken.

Many of the parents who spoke said they did not want their kids wearing masks. They wanted to know what the repercussions would be if they didn’t wear them. They also wanted to know if they could sign waivers that said they would not hold the school district responsible if their children became ill.

Webb said he was meeting with his building administrators later today to discuss how they would proceed. His interview is below: