NaTalia Urlacher, a high school freshman, was suspended after declining to wear a mask at school. Now, her mother is claiming that her rights were violated.
Urlacher, 14, received a one-day suspension and was sent home early last Thursday morning from Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois, reported the Chicago Tribune.
“My daughter was handed a mask at the door, and she told them politely, ‘I don’t really participate in that,’ ” Urlacher’s mother, Sheri, told the news outlet. After asking the girl to pull the mask over her mouth and nose and declining to do so, the school called her mother.
A spokesperson for Township High School District 211 would not give specific information on Urlacher’s disciplinary activity. However, she did say that they are required to enforce the state of Illinois’ school mask mandate for public health reasons.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, in the week ending August 8, Cook County, where Palatine is located, there were 503 reported cases of COVID in Urlacher’s age category.
Contrary to the belief of many anti-maskers, mask mandates do not violate constitutional rights. In fact, the Associated Press reported that states that ban mask mandates could face civil rights probes, particularly from the Department of Education.
As the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus rages across the country, it has proven more detrimental to children, so firm protective measures are important. In a report on 2021 back-to-school procedures, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended in-person learning, vaccinations for eligible children, and masks for children over age two.
After Urlacher was suspended and lost a school day, she returned and complied with the mask rules. However, her mother claims that her daughter’s right to govern her own body should not have been ignored.
“She’s OK, but she knows she has the right to make decisions about her own body, and it’s not the right of the school and government.”
Sheri is the sister of former Chicago Bears football player Brian Urlacher.
Unfortunately, Urlacher’s mother is not the only parent claiming government overreach about mask mandates. However, the right to be educated free of the risk of a deadly disease is arguably the more important liberty.
