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Students at Illinois District 128 Vernon Hills High School on Tuesday staged a walkout over their school's mask mandate.

"As other districts around us removed the mandate last night, D128 is one of the few remaining districts left. We’ve complied for two years. The science no longer supports it. Neither do we," the students wrote on Twitter.

The move comes after a Sangamon County judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order banning the enforcement of masks for students in numerous Illinois school districts.

District 128 was one of 146 school districts named as defendants in the case brought by over 700 parents.

"Statutory rights have attempted to be bypassed through the issuance of executive orders and emergency rules," Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow wrote in the 29-page order. "This type of evil is exactly what the law was intended to constrain.”

After the ruling, however, the district 128 superintendent said the district would "continue to enforce the mask mandate and the quarantine restrictions for all students, staff and visitors as outlined in the District 128 Culture of Care Comprehensive Plan, except for the named student plaintiffs."

"The masking, along with all of the D128 Prevention Strategies, has allowed both Libertyville and Vernon Hills High School to remain open for in-person learning and extracurricular activities," she explained.

In a statement about the walkout, the students wrote: "Today, many students from District 128 Vernon Hills High School and Libertyville High School arrived at school unmasked as a sign of our desire for freedom from the mask mandate."

"We want to start by saying that we appreciate our rights as citizens of the United States and the right to protest. Our freedoms are not lost on us. That said, it is time for us to make a stand.

"At Vernon Hills High School today, we were escorted to a gymnasium where our principal, Dr. Guillaume addressed us, explained the District’s position, and patiently and respectfully fielded our questions. We sincerely appreciate the way he handled this and took the time to have a dialogue with us. Both sides were respectful.

"We were presented with several options. We could put on a mask and attend class. If we chose to remain maskless, we could either stay in the gym all day or be removed from school for the day as a mental health day.

"We respect the District’s position. But we also disagree with it. Most of us in this group have spent most of our high school lives behind these masks. For the younger students, their entire high school experience has been covered in masks. We believe it is time for this to end.

"We want to be free of these masks. We want to see each other’s faces. We want to bring back a sense of normalcy and enjoy what is left of our high school years. We believe that if this were truly about our health, they would also be considering our mental health.

"But we question whether this is truly about health anymore. If not, what is it about? Many of us are vaccinated. Many of us have even had Covid-19 and have not only survived but enjoy the natural immunity it provides.

"For our fellow students who are still concerned, we encourage them to continue to wear masks to protect themselves. But for those of us who choose not to, we desire the freedom of that choice. Many school districts around us have recently changed their position and made masks optional. Ours has not. We implore our District leaders, our School Board that we elected, and our administrators to reconsider this position as soon as possible.

"As high school students, many of us are soon graduating and going on to hopefully be the leaders of tomorrow. We also know that as this mask mandate continues, time is running out on our high school experiences. We realize throughout our lives, there will be many situations where we will be forced to make decisions. To take a stand. We believe that time is now. We encourage you to stand with us."