2 new members appointed to Joliet Township High School Board

Joliet Township High School District 204 announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Education.

The two new members, Gerrett Beene and Dan Coffey, will fill vacancies created after the resignations of Jim Allison and David Skorupa in late July.

“We warmly welcome Mr. Beene and Mr. Coffey, and we are grateful for their commitment to our district,” District 204 Superintendent Dr. Karla Guseman said in a statement.

Beene and Coffey began their terms on the board effective immediately, according to a district Facebook post.

Allison and Skorupa resigned as the board was discussing a potential policy of requiring masks to be worn in school. Other districts were also debating the matter at the time, as COVID-19 cases were on the rise.

Gov. JB Pritzker’s mandate requiring mask wearing in all Illinois schools rendered such debates moot.

The district declined to comment on why Allison and Skorupa resigned their seats. Allison and Skorupa also failed to answer several calls and requests for comment on why they stepped down.

Allison was serving as the president of the board.

The board oversees the district which includes more than 6,600 students at Joliet Central and Joliet West High Schools.