Chicago City Wire

A group of students at St. Christina’s School had a mask off on the first day of February.

Keith Walisiak, a parent who was outraged over the Archdiocese of Chicago's failure to give his son a medical exemption, said he was proud of the children for engaging in civil disobedience.

“History is watching, but more importantly God is watching, and the best day to put an end to child abuse is now,” Walisiak told Chicago City Wire.  

The children kicked off the school’s first Mask Off day by picketing maskless in front of the school.

Walisiak said the students hope to take their movement statewide and national.

“We need more action from parents to put an end to these illegal mandates,” he said in regards to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mandates concerning mask and COVID-19 protocols.

Walisiak drafted personal disclosures for students who choose not to wear masks to school.

“Pick a day every week and commit to sending your child(ren) to school without a mask and bring a personal disclosure statement each time and tell the school to file it every time,” he said.

The disclosure statement is simple list of measures in which parents are assuring the rights of their children remain intact and that they are asserting their rights as their children’s primary decision-makers both medical and otherwise.

“Students have a constitutional right to participate in non-disruptive protests during the school day. This means that school officials cannot retaliate against or discipline student protestors unless the protests cause, or are reasonably expected to cause, the disruption of school events or make it impossible for school officials to maintain order,” the disclosure statement reads.

The pandemic has spanned nearly 700 days now for students, many of whom were displaced from schools and have suffered from significant learning loss and depression.

Masks –– outside of those N95 and KN95 make specifically designed and fitted for the user –  do not have the data to back up their continued use. More than 20 peer-reviewed studies have returned no results finding any significant impact on transmission.

However, reports are abundant of breathing problems, sores, acne, hygiene issues and other personal problems related to mask usage that have led some students to individually eschew the practice. 

The Archdiocese has notably fought the parents of children with disabilities seeking mask exemptions.

Some schools have taken to allowing other schoolchildren to mete out punishment for those students who disobey. 

Walisiak included a clause warning the school against bullying the children for choosing not to wear a mask.

“My child is not to be sent to the office. I do not give my child permission to leave campus. My child shall not be harassed, bullied, or treated differently by any teacher, administrator, faculty, or student for standing up for his/her right to peacefully protest the mask mandates. If any teacher or administrator takes issue with my child’s right to protest, please contact me to meet with them and the principal to further discuss,” the statement reads.

Walisiak encouraged parents to assert their individual rights over the mandates of the institutions, which they collectively fund, and the influence from outside politicians whose motives may not be completely understood. 

"The kids continue to suffer all because adults can't or won't come together to end this madness,” he said. “This is America, not a communist state. Mandates are unacceptable that betray our unalienable God given rights.”

The Archdiocese of Chicago has thus far been unswayed by parents – even those with children suffering from disabilities – when it comes to unmasking.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, an ardent admirer of the billionaire governor, has been in lockstep with Pritzker’s orders.

Meanwhile a group of downstate school districts is expected to win a temporary restraining order any minute now limiting COVID-19 protocols.

Three public school districts –– Beecher City, Cowden-Herrick and Red Hill –– have already gone maskless after a judge ordered a restraining order on their behalf blocking Pritzker’s attempts to remove the schools’ accreditation and funding.

Parochial schools in Chicago have less to lose by unmasking children and not requiring vaccines, but critics note the Archdiocese appears to be kowtowing to the politician class in its abdication of decision-making on the matter.

The federal government gave $1.4 billion to Catholic institutions for COVID-19 relief. 

See a copy of the disclosure letter HERE and below.