Sangamon Sun

Students at North Mac High in Virden recently staged a walkout to protest the school’s quarantine policies.

The protest comes after six football players were forced into quarantine for at least 10 days after being exposed to COVID-19.

Frustrated parents and students argue all six of the players subsequently tested negative for the virus after traveling to Sangamon County for shield tests that render immediate results. Prior to making the trip, the players say they were told by school officials if the test came back negative they would be allowed to suit up for the team’s game against Riverton.

According to Jakob Emerson TV, it was only after the players tested negative that the superintendent informed them they needed to test on site to be immediately eligible to compete. With North Mac not yet set up for that kind of testing, students who are exposed to COVID have to do the full 10-day quarantine.

North Mac government teacher Matthew Allen was among those protesting.

“I’m out here because I’m a parent in the community,” he told Emerson TV. “We cannot put power in the hands of a few people. What’s happening here is the legislative branch in Illinois has given their power up to the executive authority.”

Allen said his position of being a parent with a child in the local school system while also serving as a football coach and teacher of American government give him a unique voice in the debate.

“I kinda know what I’m talking about,” he said. “I do not agree with our superintendent. I do not agree with our school board and health department. They’re taking their executive authority too far. If the masks work, why are we quarantining students with the negative tests?”

Those pushing for the stringent restrictions point to recent Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) statistics that show infection rates are on the rise for 12- to 17-year-olds and 18- to 22-year-olds.

But North Mac Superintendent Jay Goble warns simply taking the wrong numbers at face value can be misleading.

"As far as the issue with quarantining students, our frustration is that an outbreak is defined as two or more positive cases in a classroom or confined space, and when there is an outbreak all unvaccinated individuals within that space must quarantine,” he said in a statement. “Despite having only nine positive cases at the HS, these restrictive outbreak rules have resulted in 116 students being forced to quarantine. Our problem is not with the mandate to quarantine exposed students. Our problem is with the incredibly restrictive definition of two or more positive cases. Last year it was two or more at the start the year and then raised to five. Then this year, without any reason, it was dropped back down to two or more. This, and this alone, has devastated our high school in regard to the number of students that are forced to quarantine. We are quickly coming to a point where we are going to have to return to remote learning. As things stand now, over 30% of our high school students are in quarantine."