Anti-vax Illinois teacher who'd ranted at school board meetings for months was actually vaccinated

For months, math and business teacher Kadence Koen of Springfield School District 186 had been fighting the Illinois state mandate demanding that teachers provide proof of their vaccine or submit to weekly COVID testing. As it turns out, that whole time, she was actually vaccinated.

"Earlier, Koen uploaded a copy of the card to Gina McLaughlin-Schurman, the district's assistant superintendent of human resources," The State Journal-Register revealed Sunday. "The card showed she received her first dose of the vaccine on June 29, with the second dose coming on July 19, well before Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker came out with the mandate about school personnel.

Koen had until Wednesday to do a "remediation plan" the district outlined during an Oct. 27 meeting and would begin unpaid leave on Nov. 17. She then turned over her card showing that she'd actually been vaccinated the whole time she was fighting the district.

"I didn't want to have to produce a vaccination card because I don't think that's legal or appropriate, but if you ask me to choose between my personal beliefs and my students, my students will win," Koen said. "My mother said that I was a round peg in a round hole (at Southeast) and I do well with kids there and that's where I belong. I know I make a difference there. I can't imagine my life not teaching."

The district said that they can't discuss any details about employees of the schools.

Koen made news for weeks appearing on shows of local news personalities,

"It's my body, my choice and I'm in charge of making my own healthcare decisions," she told Greg Bishop in a radio interview.

Read the full report at TSJR.