On April 30, 2020, COVID-19 executive order No. 30 was signed; the first official mandate for Illinois residents to wear face coverings in public and the workplace.
Since then, Illinois has experienced a two month lock down, a vaccine, a brief pause in mask mandates and several spikes of COVID-19 cases.
During the 2020-2021 academic school year, Illinois teachers and students were tasked with E-learning. During E-Learning, the majority of ACHS students had their microphones muted and their cameras off. In a non-interactive school environment, many students’ grades and productivity began to rapidly decline.
“E-Learning was a tough time for me and many of my classmates,” junior Maranda Nicole said. “Getting back into a regular school schedule was refreshing for me, and I felt like I was a lot more focused in the classroom.”
This school year, students were permitted to enter the classrooms full-time. With new safety procedures set in place by Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), students were given a chance to rekindle with their peers and teachers, but things still were not quite back to the way they used to be. Multiple teachers shared their lack of connectivity with their students. Facial expressions are a key factor in understanding how a student or coworker is feeling. With face coverings, it can be difficult to read people.
In the first semester of this year, District 117 has seen a multitude of protests and upset parents. Although the mask mandate was set in place to protect people, some feel like their rights are being violated.
At the start of the second semester, students and teachers still had to cover up. Up to this point, students have been wearing a mask for over a year. As of Feb. 4, 2022, students in the district are now not required to wear a mask in school. Some students were happy with the new news, and could now walk the halls and see their classmates’ faces.
“I like not having to wear a mask in school because it’s more comfortable. And I feel like I can finally breathe a little more,” junior Evan Ringnalda said. “I also can finally see people’s faces and facial expressions when I’m talking to them.”
Some students feel that sense of freedom again after wearing a mask for over a year. As the school days go on, it seems that fewer students are covering up.
“It feels weird to be in school without a mask on,” sophomore Lydia McWilliams said, “Seeing all these new faces is kind of startling but I don’t feel unsafe without one on. If I feel the need to put a mask on I can put it on without feeling judged. It gives a sense of freedom to not be covered by a mask but I am ok with wearing one if it means protecting other people.”
Who knows if students will have to wear masks again, but some students are liking the fact that they don’t have to wear one.
