Elmhurst Rally To Push For Full Reopening Of Schools

ELMHURST, IL — Supporters of reopening Elmhurst's public schools plan a rally before Tuesday's school board meeting, where members are expected to decide on in-person learning.

The event is being organized by the leaders of the "Reopen D205" Facebook page. It is set to last from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. outside Elmhurst School District 205's central office at 162 S. York St.

The Facebook group formed last fall to urge the school board to increase in-person learning. It has pointed to local private schools that have reopened more quickly than the local public schools.

At Tuesday's meeting, Superintendent Dave Moyer is expected to present a plan for in-person learning through the rest of the school year.

In an interview, Michael Booth, one of the rally's organizers, said he alerted Elmhurst police about the rally. He said participants will be in the parking lot at the central office.

Booth, who has two children at Sandburg Middle School and one at York High School, took issue with the district's coronavirus testing program, which just started for sixth through 12th graders.

Booth said parents' understanding was that with such saliva screening, the schools could more fully reopen. But he noted students at Bryan and Sandburg middle schools are still only attending in person twice a week.

He also said it appeared as if the testing were optional, but the district switched at the last minute.

Late last month, a spokeswoman for the Illinois School Board of Education told Patch that districts have no legal authority to mandate testing. But the district said its reading of the law allowed it to do so.

Booth said he would be open to the saliva testing for his children if that meant "true in-class learning," but that has not happened.

Booth also said District 205 was in a bad spot with its superintendent, Dave Moyer, who is set to leave this summer for a superintendent's job in Upstate New York.

"Elmhurst should be a leader in innovation," Booth said. "It doesn't help that we have a lame-duck superintendent. He won't make the tough decisions before he leaves."

The Reopen D205 group last held a demonstration outside the central office before a school board meeting in October. In a survey last summer, 85 percent of students' families said they wanted at least some in-person learning for their children.