My child attends a Big Ten school and I was very disappointed that the conference surrendered the demands of those who value football for the health and safety of their children, other students and the community.

The life and future of my child is just as important as the life and future of college footballers. But my kid doesn’t play sports, so I guess my kid isn’t that big in the Big Ten because neither of us had a say in that decision.

Soccer players attend the class. Football players attend parties. Footballers go to bars. The decision to play football inherently increases the risk for all students, not just players.

Perhaps the football players have signed a waiver agreeing to hold the Big Ten blameless if they get infected. My child did not sign such a waiver, and he never had the opportunity to do so as part of what would have been a comprehensive process to educate my child about the risks of attending school during a pandemic.

So let me share my voice now and be crystal clear. My child is in a group at higher risk for COVID-19 due to asthma. If my child contracts COVID-19 and this infection can be attributed to the Bog 10 decision, I will pursue legal recourse for this act of gross negligence.

I’m sure many other parents of non-football players feel the same way.

James Kennedy, Oak Park

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Vote in person

My local bank on August 29 sent us some pretty important documents, unfortunately not by certified mail or even using a tracking number.

The bank is three kilometers from our place. Twenty days later, we still haven’t received it. I guess he’s lost in postal mail hell. With all due respect to the many postmen doing a good job, I still wouldn’t trust the US Postal Service to handle my vote in the next presidential election.

I received a letter from the Illinois Secretary of State stating that I did not submit a request to vote by mail, with the wording implying that this is the only option. But this is such an important election that I’m going to make sure my vote counts by wearing my mask, armed with hand sanitizer and voting in person.

Barbara J. Piltaver, Schiller Park

Judge Toomin is blameless

Congratulations to your editorial board for defending the independence of the judiciary. You were right on target.

Judge Michael Toomin is one of the best, if not the best, judges in the entire county. His experience and reputation for honesty and integrity are beyond reproach. When many of us as judges had unique issues or questions, we often referred them to Judge Toomin for his opinion and knowledge of the law.

He was incredibly honest and got right to the point. Exactly what the constituents of Cook County expect from our judges.

John Tourtelot, retired judge, Schaumburg