Triad School District Faces Lawsuits Over Masks, Tests
By Charlie Feldman
cfeldman@timestribunenews.com
The Triad School District is facing lawsuits from different sources over COVID-19 masking and testing.
Three parents in the Speak for Students group have filed for temporary restraining orders to allow their children to attend school without masks. Their hearing is on Wednesday, after press time but before this newspaper is delivered.
Four teachers from the Triad District and three from the Edwardsville District have also filed suits against their districts.
The Triad School District has hired an attorney, Stephanie Jones. So have those filing the lawsuits. Theirs is Bond County lawyer Thomas DeVore, whose name has come up several times during the past two years in regard to COVID-19-related lawsuits ranging from sending cease and desist letters to police in various towns over attempted business closures to suing the Illinois High School Association over requiring masks in its Return to Play guidelines.
The four Triad District teachers are Christina Becker, Vicki Brides, Jessica Green and Amber Stevens. Two are Teachers Education Association officers.
The three Triad District parents are Jamey Hartley, of the Speak for Students anti-masking group, Autumn Meier and Amy Honer.
“Triad Education Association is committed to delivering the best possible education to the students of the Triad School District in the safest environment for the students and staff possible,” said Andrew Frey, Triad Education Association president, in a press release on Friday, September 24. “Ninety percent of teachers in the Triad School district are vaccinated, and the majority of those who are not are willingly complying with the testing mandates set forth by the state.
“Triad has been able to be in person nearly every day since the beginning of the 2020-21 school year. This is in large part due to the mitigation efforts put in place by the district and enforced by the administrators and teachers. Masking has been one of the most effective strategies used to this point,” he wrote.
The court cases are under the Miscellaneous Remedy category. Madison County Judge Ron Foster handles those, sometimes on Zoom.
The masks is nothing but control. I hope the parents wins this case against mask mandates.
Nope, Speak for Students is hardcore anti-mask. They say they are for “local control”, but when Edwardsville chose to mask, they helped gather names for a class action suit. Sounds like they only want local control if the decision goes their way.
If it’s about the right to choose, then let the children choose for themselves instead of parents choosing for them
One parent suing the district has a child endangerment charge from 2009 in Madison county. Another had a civil suit against a large pharmaceutical company that was dismissed. Their views may not reflect the majority of the community.
I wonder what happened to the charges ?
Pretty sure the majority of the community wants parent choice So you may want to rethink your statement.
The generation that had two walk 2 miles uphill both ways to school now thinks that wearing masks is too hard for children. Grow up.
Never said it was too hard for children!! We said and will say it again LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!…..it is about the right to choose!!! And what is law and what is not!!! Before you go putting words in people’s mouth, think before you post!!!
Then let the children choose for themselves.
I am letting my children choose, thank you. And they may still wear one. It IS up to them, hence IT IS A CHOICE!!
What does it take? On one extreme, should you get to decide whether or not to allow your child to decide whether or not to wear clothes during hot, summer days? …to submit to school requirements that kindergartners have doctor reports showing that each has had a physical exam, as well as certain inoculations required by most states before being admitted? I am old, but those my age will remember the times that we were required to receive the smallpox vaccine, polio and TB shots and others at young ages in order to attend school. (to prevent the spread of these horrible diseases) In many states, these shots were given by the school nurse. Our parents had felt, seen and experienced the reality of the horror of the death and/or crippling effects of these diseases on so many loved ones and friends before these life saving shots became available. Mine were frantically grateful for their availability! If you and yours do not want to receive a Covid vaccine (or wear masks) you have the right to not. (most places) However, just as history has shown, your choice may not prove that your decision is the reason you’ve not been infected with Covid or a variant or other. Can you allow yourselves to just wonder if, just maybe, your decision to refuse vaccines and/or fight required masks your children are supposed to wear to school may allow you all to remain healthy BECAUSE others have stepped up, in spite of their fears or doubts, and received these vaccines? Others will not spread what they do not carry. I realize that so far, a perfect way to prevent this terrible spread has not been shown to be a perfect resolution, HOWEVER, it seems to me that the vaccines and masks have proven to show WAY better results than simply refusing them for, what looks like to me, a perceived attitude of, “You CANNOT and WILL NOT make me do this!”
I know I will not change your attitude. I can hope… Nevertheless, these steadfast divisions between what we perceive as “Right!” or “Wrong” are tearing out country apart.
The speak for students group is not an anti-mask group, it’s all about pro choice.
Lol, so speak for students is for women’s reproductive freedom? Cool. You should definitely make that clear on your social media pages.