Facing a Crowd of Angry Parents, School Board Sticks to Earlier Decision To Allow Optional Masking
Facing a Crowd of Angry Parents, School Board Sticks to Earlier Decision To Allow Optional Masking
The decision came in the face of a surge in Covid-19 cases in Transylvania County and numerous positive tests among students and teachers across the School District.
ROSMAN — The Transylvania County School Board — despite a countywide surge in Covid-19 infections and a growing number of quarantined students and teachers — voted to side with a raucous crowd of parents Monday and maintain its mask-optional policy.
The meeting had been moved to the Rosman High School media center to accommodate the crowd, which spilled over into an adjacent hallway and the school's auditorium, where the proceedings were streamed.
Parents and/or students carried signs that said “Freedom of Choice,” “We Will Not Comply” and “Don’t hide my smile.”
The crowd, supported by an appearance from U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, had to be warned repeatedly against shouting out during the board’s discussion. And during the 90 minutes allowed for public input, several speakers vowed to get board members voted out of office and/or to pull their children from the schools.
“We will petition, we are not backing down,” said Brittani Summey, after reading at length from the U.S. Constitution.
“Board, if you decide to mask up our children, I will put my daughter in home school, but you will see my face front and center at every meeting. Can I get a show of hands for everyone in this room who is willing to withdraw their children because they do not have a choice?”
Most members of the audience raised their hands and cheered loudly.
She and many other speakers presented arguments that have become standard during the long national debate over masks, touting the freedom of choice and disputing the effectiveness of mask-wearing to prevent Covid-19’s spread.
They were countered by proponents of mandatory masking, who also made familiar points: That your right to eschew a mask ends with your neighbor’s right to remain disease-free, that a overwhelming body of both scientific evidence and medical advice supports masking.
Longtime Brevard pediatrician Ora Wells said he was representing about 20 other doctors who were urging the board to require masking for students and faculty.
He has seen evidence of soaring cases in his practice, he said, including infections in 5 of the 25 patients he saw on Saturday.
The Delta variant is far more contagious than previous strains, he said, and can only be contained through cooperative effort.
“Only if everyone in the room has a mask on will this work,” he said.
The board members held fast to their stances from their meeting on Aug. 2, when they first approved the mask-optional motion.
Vice Chairman Ron Kiviniemi, who cited expert opinions including that of his son, a University of Kentucky public health professor, made a motion to reverse the earlier motion and mandate mask wearing.
This was seconded by Board member Marty Griffin, who had voted for the Aug. 2 motion, he said, only because he wanted to include other safety provisions; he has always supported mandatory masking.
Their motion was defeated by votes from Board chair Tawny McCoy and members Courtney Domokur and Kimsey Jackson. The decision left in place the Aug. 2 motion, which includes a provision that the board revisit its decision at its meeting on Sept. 20.
The vote came one day after Superintendent Jeff McDaris sent out an message requiring masks for the first day of school, citing cases among students and faculty members across several schools and grade levels.
According to a weekly update released Wednesday by Transylvania Public Health, 125 new cases had been identified in the previous seven days, a rate comparable to that seen in December.
The board was also presented with information that football practices had been suspended at both Brevard Middle School and, for the second straight week, Brevard High School, which was also forced to cancel its first game.
In addition, McDaris went over quarantining requirements from public health officials, including a circumstance where isolation could be avoided only if all students and teachers were “appropriately and consistently masked.”
Both Jackson and McCoy said they were deeply conflicted about their decision, and along with information supporting their ultimate votes, presented arguments that could justify a mandate.
The both expressed fear that widespread infections — and the forced quarantining of staff and students — could force the closure of individual schools or a return to online learning.
“I am concerned that if we have a huge outbreak at the schools — What’s it going to do to the community?’ Jackson said. “And how are we going to solve that?”