Mendota Elementary expects visitors to follow its rules, commenting on video shared on social media

Mendota Elementary Superintendent K. Bradley Cox said Tuesday’s cancellation of a sixth grade volleyball game against Bureau Valley at Northbrook Middle School, after a fan from the visiting team refused to follow the school’s mask wearing rules, was an unforeseen circumstance.

“The expectation on our campus is that we abide by the rules set forth by our handbook and by our board policy,” Cox said.

A video was posted on social media pages Tuesday across Illinois Valley, showing a woman without her mask yelling at other fans seated in the bleachers. She referenced the game’s cancellation and said, “You guys need to stand up and tell them no more,” while someone in the crowd shouted back, “You need to wear a mask.”

Cox said visiting schools have been told prior to games about Mendota Elementary’s policy.

“There needs to be a reasonable expectation to follow the policies our board has set,” he said.

Cox said district staff tries to be diplomatic when a visitor refuses to wear a mask, offering them several options to resolve the situation without bending the rules.

He said there’s no easy answer when someone refuses to follow the rules.

“Every situation is different, and that’s the way we have to handle them,” Cox said, noting calling the police would not have been the best use of officers’ time. " ... We will call the police when we feel someone is in danger, that was not the case here.”

Cox said the Mendota Elementary district will continue to communicate its policy for visiting teams in advance to avoid any future incidents.