By Chris Fox
The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board held a regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 25 at the District 205 Center, 162 S. York St. Board member Christopher Kocinski was absent from the meeting.
Students recognized
The board recognized four York High School seniors who excelled in the Illinois Stock Market Game, a state-wide competition that allows students to use internet research and news updates in a simulated investment contest. Teams and students started with a virtual cash account of $100,000 and tried to create the best-performing portfolio over a three-month period. The team of York seniors Ryan Pajak, Ryan Marti and Matthew Huffman finished in first place in the state-wide division for high school students. Their virtual portfolio of $100,000 grew to over $920,000. York senior Ryan Spaeth claimed the second-place award.
Public comment includes more mask discussion
The public-participation segment of the Jan. 25 meeting included comments from seven people. A majority of the speakers were district parents who do not favor the state’s mask mandate in schools. One of those speakers complained that a teacher in the district forced children to do calisthenics as a corrective action for wearing their masks below their noses. Another parent who spoke said the board should survey district stakeholders to learn their opinion of the mask mandate. The speaker referred to the masks as nothing more than face decorations.
One speaker noted that there had recently been no cases of district students who had to quarantine due to a school-related close contact with someone who had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. That speaker claimed that the masking requirement was responsible for the lack of quarantines due to a school-related close contact.
Demographic study presented
The meeting also included a report of a recent demographic study of the district conducted by Ohio-based Cropper GIS. The firm’s Matthew Cropper addressed the board remotely during the meeting. According to the recently concluded study, total district enrollment is forecast to increase by 94 students, or about 1.1 percent, from the current 2021-22 school year to the 2026-27 school year. Total enrollment is projected to grow by 285 students from 2026-27 to 2031-32. The district currently includes a total enrollment of about 8,200 students.
Campbell offers COVID, vaccination update
District 205 Superintendent Keisha Campbell gave a brief update about COVID-19 metrics at the end of the meeting. Campbell said that the district had recently been served and named as one of over 140 Illinois school districts in a case seeking a temporary restraining order against Gov. JB Pritzker’s mask mandate in schools. Campbell said the district is closely monitoring the case, and will respect the legal system and cooperate with any ruling.
Campbell said the COVID-19 vaccination rate among York High School students is about 48 percent. The COVID-19 vaccination rate among the district’s middle school students is about 43 percent, while the rate among its elementary school students is around 41 percent.
The board will hold its next regular meeting on Feb. 8.
