No rivalry in local sports rivals the competition in games, meets, and matches between crosstown high schools Woodstock and Woodstock North. As School District 200 Superintendent Mike Moan describes it, “The atmosphere is electric” when the two schools are involved in mostly friendly competition on the court or field of play. But there is no […]
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration are asking a state appellate court to set aside a lower court order from late Friday that invalidated the mask and vaccine mandates that the state imposed last year for public schools. On Friday, Sangamon County […]
Woodstock Police have hit a technical roadblock in their search for a second person responsible for recent threats of violence in School District 200. Police arrested a student on a low felony charge of disorderly conduct involving a threat at Woodstock High School last month. And Police Chief John Lieb reported his department had obtained […]
Board of Education members were divided last week on whether remote learning should replace the traditional “snow day” in Woodstock School District 200. In fact, some of them admitted they were personally divided on the issue. When it came time to a vote, the resolution to replace emergency days with eLearning was defeated 4-3, with […]
When students awake in the morning to several inches of snow, they might not have to go to school, but that doesn’t mean they won’t need to attend classes. The idea of a “snow day” being replaced by remote learning in Woodstock School District 200 will be the subject of a public hearing next week […]
“Feedback from many parents” has caused administrators to withdraw a plan to change school start and dismissal times to address a critical shortage of bus drivers in Woodstock School District 200. In an email to D-200 families Thursday, Superintendent Mike Moan announced that proposed schedule would not be considered at the Board of Education meeting […]
I want to address what some parents said at a recent District 200 Board of Education meeting about why they don’t want their children to have to wear masks in school. Masks are uncomfortable. They make it hard to breathe. Masks are irritating. Children can’t speak or see each other smile. Masks make some children […]
In a 6-1 vote at the end of a special meeting, the Board of Education Tuesday night established a mandatory mask policy to start the academic year in Woodstock School District 200. Unlike last week, when only one person supported the mask policy among more than two dozen speakers, eight people Tuesday urged the board […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com The McHenry County Department of Health has adopted the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionand Illinois Department of Public Health school guidance recommendations – masking for the vaccinated and unvaccinated, both students and staff.. In a news release, the department announced it had had been meeting weekly with local superintendents, providing consultation about preventative strategies […]
Not everyone who showed up at last week’s Board of Education meeting liked the idea of a mask mandate this fall in Woodstock School District 200. But they all shared the same sentiment about the face coverings. “I’m tired of wearing masks,” Martha Hansen told the board. “My family is tired of wearing masks. We […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
