Illinois parents blast school board member for cursing out unmasked parent: 'Drunk on power'

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School board member curses at parent who refused to wear mask

Glenbrook, Illinois parents Jennifer Preston and Paul Kelly, who attended the school board meeting, discuss their reactions to the tense exchange.

Illinois parents are standing against mask mandates after a highly contentious school board meeting. Jennifer Preston and Paul Kelly joined Fox & Friends" Thursday after attending the meeting where a school board member cursed at a parent who refused to wear a mask while he was speaking.

The father told the suburban Chicago board members he had an exemption from wearing a mask and that he couldn’t articulate properly while wearing one. He joked that he could wear it on top of his head if they insisted and argued President Biden and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker routinely speak in public without masks. 

Joel Taub, a member of the Glenbrook school board, told the parent, "If you don’t wear the f****** mask, you get the f*** out of here."

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Let Them Breathe, an anti-mask group, gather to protest at the Redondo Beach Unified School District building on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 in Redondo Beach, CA.(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Preston, who attended the meeting with her children, said the outburst was embarrassing and called it a "terrible reflection" of the community and schools.

"These people are placed in powerful positions to make the best decisions for our kids, and I found it to be so sad and just truly a major disappointment for all the kids and all the parents and our entire community at large," she told host Ainsley Earhardt.

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Kelly said Taub’s comments were obviously inappropriate, noting Taub’s intense anger despite wearing a high-grade mask and being distanced from the speaker. 

"It’s a reflection of some, not all, but some of these individuals in these positions of power who are drunk on power," Kelly said. "They literally absolutely have to have control and compliance, and it’s very disconcerting."

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Kelly went on to highlight the parents and students who attended the meeting to support removing mask mandates.

Preston’s daughter spoke at the meeting and called on board members to stand up for students. She called for masks to be optional and for students to be allowed to have a choice.

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Preston said she reached out to the school board for confirmation after hearing the state had suspended mask mandates, but she has yet to hear back. 

Kelly has also not heard from the board on whether an apology was issued. The school board did not respond to Fox News' request for comment on the incident. 

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Taub is reportedly up for reelection, and Kelly said he plans to run to unseat him.

"We need people on the board that really do reflect the interests of the parents and the students," Kelly said.