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Posted on 08/23/2021 7:46:23 PM PDT by lightman
Face masks for students and staff will be required indoors in the Central Dauphin School District at the start of the new school year.
The decision came Monday night after more than two hours of parents -- both for and against their child being required to wear a mask -- shared their comments with the school board on the often-controversial subject.
About 50 people attended the meeting, which was generally calm, though several shouted at school board members after they cast the 7-2 vote in favor of changing the district’s health and safety plan to require masking indoors.
And among those who spoke out against a masking mandate Monday night was Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick.
Just a few weeks ago, many school districts around the state were planning to make mask wearing optional at the beginning of the school year. They submitted their health and safety plans – a requirement for receiving American Rescue Plan funding – to the state Department of Education, saying as much.
These plans had been formulated earlier in the summer when things were relatively calm in the pandemic and the number of new infections was low. But health officials have seen a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over the last month due to the delta variant.
But in the last few weeks, more and more school districts have made the decision to require masks.
Central Dauphin’s plan was originally going to make masks optional, but during Monday’s meeting, Superintendent Normal Miller said he is recommending the board vote to amend the health and safety plan to require everyone wear masks indoors.
He said following Department of Health and CDC guidelines will be the best way to continue in-person learning through the school year.
“In-person is the best way to learn, the best way to socialize, the best way to live, but this virus is still out there,” Miller told the board and the crowd, some masked and some not. “The delta variant will spread faster and create more disruptions, and there is something we can do about that.”
And that is requiring everyone to wear masks in school, he said, as some in the crowd groaned.
It’s the way to keep the lights on for football games and to have students in school five days per week, he added.
Parents came out Monday night to express their views on both sides of the masking subject.
“I’m tired of wearing this mask, too, but prevention remains our key ally in fighting this virus,” UPMC Dr. Avi Hameroff told the crowd. The best evidence shows wearing masks is effective, and the more people who wear masks, the more effective they will be, he said.
“As a society we have determined it prudent to limit individual freedoms when personal actions are likely to negatively affect the health of those in the vicinity,” Central Dauphin parent Matt Orlowski told the board. He recommended mandatory masking at all district locations, or at least at schools with a student body that is under 12 – those who are not old enough to receive the vaccine. He also recommended establishing a clear metric for when the mask mandate would be lifted.
On the other side, mother of 10 Anna Brandenburg asked the school board to protect the freedoms of students and allow them the choice of masking or not to ensure medical freedom.
“Life is in the breath,” she said, saying she believes masks can actually be harmful to children’s health and psychological wellbeing. “I want my children to think for themselves, to question, to study, to research.”
She said her family changed nothing about their lifestyle when the pandemic began and continues to be healthy, and asking children to comply with a masking mandate is asking them to comply with a socialist system.
Coroner Hetrick spoke at the meeting against mask mandates, noting the virus is likely man-made. He added that school-age children have virtually no chance of dying from the virus and, while reading the back of a mask box, said the mask is not a respirator and is not guaranteed to provide protection against contagious disease or infection.
“So, it’s no good, and then you have the discipline of children wearing them,” he said. He added people still pull their masks down to speak, and while they wear them at the register in a restaurant, they take them off when they sit down “because the virus can’t find us.”
Parent Julia Freitag said those who share her point of view of choosing to mask or not are called selfish, but she said it is only the pro-mask side that is demanding all adhere to their point of view.
“I look behind me and see lots of moms and dads, and I whole heartedly agree they know what’s best for their children,” she said. “As I stand here tonight, I know what side I’m on. Tonight, you must decide what side you are on.”
The school board voted 7-2 to update the health and safety plan to require face masks in school buildings. Board members Lauren Silvers and Jeanne Webster voted against the measure.
School board President Ford Thompson said universal masking will be reviewed monthly.
Those who do not want to send children to school have the option of choosing the district’s cyber academy, Thompson added.
Pennsylvania Ping!
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By way of background:
PA Governor Tom (Tommie the Commie) Wolf, hoping to pull a Gerald Ford by appearing “moderate” has NOT issued a statewide school masking mandate; leaving that decision up to each of the 500 School Districts in the Commonwealth.
Initially most Districts were allowing parental choice.
But then, as the “Dreaded Delta Variant” fearporn accelerated more and more Districts—particularly those in wealthy suburbs dominated by Karan Soccer Mommies—began to reverse the course.
That Central Dauphin would join that wave is NO surprise.
I only thought that the vote would be closer.
Tommie the Commie had his wings clipped by the Senate. His ability to make mandates is greatly reduced.
Gramted—and grateful!—nevertheless lately he has been distancing himself from Cuomo (DUH!) and Murphy with whom he had been too closely aligned in the unConstitutional “northeast compact”.
Until proven otherwise, I am convinced that he wants to be seen as a “moderate” to replace Kamalahahaha and thus take the Gerald Ford path to the Presidency.
These are the type of people who voted for Biden. Their judgement sucks. Why in the hell would anyone want to be around or have their children around people who have piss poor judgement?
We went to the Northampton PA school board meeting last night. They voted to mandate masks & parents were irate. A school board member told a parent to SHUT UP. His name is Chuck Frantz & he is up for re-election.
That and he also wants a future governor to also be Democrat too
That and he also wants a future governor to also be Democrat too
Then get your kids the heck out of publik skrewls.
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