Chicago Area Park District Says Unvaxed Kids Not Allowed to Play Sports, Reverses, Apologizes

A Chicago area park district told parents in December that unvaccinated kids would not be allowed to play on district sports teams only to reverse the decision and apologize for the message.

The Pleasant Dale Park District, a Cook County park district in the southwestern Chicago suburb of Burr Ridge, sent out a message to parents saying that all children and coaches on the district’s sports teams would be required to be vaccinated.

But shortly after the message was sent, the district countermanded the mandate, saying that the original message was “premature,” West Cook News reported

The district initially claimed it was following the mandates passed down to them by Cook County officials. The district also announced that it was delaying the start of the girl’s basketball season to Jan. 24, from the original launch date of Jan. 17, to give parents more time to get their kids vaccinated.

Pleasant Dale Park District athletic supervisor Tyler LeGrand later told citizens that the order is under review. LeGrand said according to West Cook News:

Park District legal counsel and insurance providers are currently reviewing the order from Cook County. No official implementation decisions or plans have been made at this time. The correspondence sent out was premature and we apologize for any confusion. As the Cook County Order was issued over the holidays with little notice, we wanted to make participants aware of the information that was provided to us and what may be coming. Further information will be released at the appropriate time.

Chicago talk show host Dan Proft blasted the original order and claimed that coaches and vaccinated kids were told to wear their jerseys so they could be identified as vaxed.

“From Pleasant Dale Park Dst in Burr Ridge: For girls under 12 basketball, must get vaxed by 1/24. Until then, vaxed coaches, kids wear jerseys while unvaxed kids wear street clothes to ID the vaxed from the unvaxed,” Proft tweeted adding, “If they can play why different uniforms unless it’s to shame?”

The clothing request has not been verified.

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