Nearly half of Pa. school principals surveyed said they’ve been threatened over mask order

Pennlive ^ | 2 October A.D. 2021 | Ron Southwick

[lightman]

School administrators have faced hostility from some parents and residents after Pennsylvania’s mask order for schools took effect last month.

This week, the Pennsylvania Principals Association released a survey indicating the intense backlash they are encountering from parents who oppose the statewide mask order. The survey found 44% of the principals who responded said they were threatened “by a parent, student, or community member as a result of the mask mandate.” The survey included responses from 449 members.

Dr. Eric Eshbach, executive director of the Pennsylvania Principals Association, said some of the threats didn’t necessarily indicate violence. Some parents have threatened lawsuits, he said.

Nonetheless, Eshbach said some threats have indeed been threats of violence. And he said hearing nearly half of those surveyed had received some kind of threat was “alarming.”

“I know some have been physically threatened. Some of the threats come in social media,” Eshbach said.

He added, “I’ve talked with members who said after a board meeting, they were advised not to walk to their car alone.”

Eshbach served as a school superintendent for 16 years in central Pennsylvania, leading both the Northern York County and Upper Adams school districts. But he said the hostility he’s witnessed in school board meetings in recent weeks is unprecedented.

“I’ve never seen that level of anger in what I would call some stable school districts,” Eshbach said.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration issued the mask order last month amidst a spike in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. The governor had initially said he wanted local school districts to make the call but felt compelled to act due to the rise in COVID-19 cases and a desire to keep kids in classrooms. Wolf also cited what he described as misinformation and pressure on boards to refrain from requiring masks.

Several legal challenges have emerged to overturn the order. Republican lawmakers, who control the General Assembly, are also examining ways to block the mandate from the Democratic governor.

Across central Pennsylvania, school board meetings have become highly contentious, and even raucous, over the mask issue.

Last month, the Cumberland Valley school board opted to meet remotely and stream the meeting to the public when members voted to keep its mask policy and other COVID-19 measures in place. District officials said they opted against meeting in person because of violations of masking policies at past meetings and general crowd control concerns.

Police have attended some other midstate school board meetings. Mark DiRocco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, said he’s heard a number of school districts have summoned police or hired security to keep order at meetings. His group, which represents school superintendents and other leaders, has heard reports of threats of violence aimed at administrators.

“There have been several superintendents who have also received threatening emails, threatening statements made to them at board meetings,” DiRocco said.

“We find this entire matter to be very concerning. We ask for everyone who is frustrated with whatever decisions are being made in the pandemic to be as reasonable and cooperative as possible.

“These threats … that needs to end right now,” he added.

Earlier this week, the National School Boards Association sent a letter to President Joe Biden, imploring him to direct federal law enforcement “to deal with the growing number of threats of violence and acts of intimidation occurring across the nation.” The group said school board meetings have been disrupted in California, Florida, Georgia and other states.

At a press briefing this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said it’s largely up to local law enforcement to protect school boards, the Associated Press reported. But she added, “We’re continuing to explore if more can be done from across the administration.”

“Obviously these threats to school board members is horrible. They’re doing their jobs,” she said.

Given the heated emotions seen in recent weeks, DiRocco said local law enforcement agencies should have a presence at school board meetings and other events to make sure no one can carry out a threat.

“Every local municipality with police, they need to step up their game and make sure these school board meetings and other events are covered,” he said.

Eshbach asked for parents to remain civil with school administrators, teachers and board members.

“This kind of behavior, the kind of vitriol, the kind of anger, the kind of threatening … does not help children. It doesn’t help them understand civil discourse,” he said.

He also said he’d ask parents to respect, or at least tolerate, the mask order as a way to preserve in-person education and avoid relying on remote education, as many districts did last year. The principals’ association supports the mask requirement if it ensures kids can stay in classrooms.

“We can’t go through another year like last year,” Eshbach said.

“We want our kids in school,” he added. “Whatever it takes.”

The principals’ survey also found 89% of those responding said their school district was following the mask order from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, while 11% said they were being asked to carry out actions in violation of that order. Some said they were being told to accept mask exemptions from parents, even without any medical documentation from a doctor indicating those children couldn’t wear masks.

The survey found 13% of principals said they felt their job was in jeopardy, because of the contradiction between the state order and the directives of their local school boards.

[Secret Agent Man]

these are libtards remember

they feel threatened simply by someone asking hard questions or not agreeing with them

[TigersEye]

And in another poll 50% of PA school principals are liars.

[Don W]

Hmmm, the people entrusting you with their children’s welfare disagree with ONE of the protocols you are forcing upon them, and they are threatening you?

Drama queen much?

[caww]

I can say in my area not only has the School board met with Parents but they also went to the Commissioners meetings objecting to the face masks.

[goodnesswins]

Well...masking students (and vaxing them) IS child abuse...what do they expect?

[lightman]

With many a good reason:

It’s all about teaching COMPLIANCE….
...not “following the science”:

Masks are:

1) a sign of submission, subversion and subjugation
2) mandated in order to dehumanize
3) virtue signaling devices
4) meant to provide constant reinforcement of fear
5) used to destroy community, friends and family normal communication
6) implemented to create isolation, confusion, anxiety, destroy human connectivity, trust and interactions
7) mandated to exacerbate illness
8) intended to aid in the abandonment of the belief and reliance on our immune systems
9) intended to refute integrous science
10) signal to positions of power that you are willing to give up all of your rights and freedoms based on anything they say, even if it is a BIG FAT LIE!

[zeugma]

Hard to have a lot of sympathy for these child abusers. They should be happy that noone has acted on it ... yet.

[joma89]

Good! Totalitarians need to suffer personally for their professional actions.

[Joe Boucher]

Lawsuits?
How about tar and feathering?
Use to work well.

[twyn1]

So? Quit!

Maybe that’s what happens when you take it a step too far and let out the truth about how you feel in your little school fiefdom. That you should be given total control over other people’s children and all should accept it because you know “better”.

Side Note - I’m in PA and the ONLY known incident of violence in my area was when a school superintendent grabbed a sign out of someone else’s hands and purposely smacked a woman (who was lawfully protesting the forced mask mandate) over the head!

Parents here are mad over the “bait & switch” — they got the kids into school by promising no forced masking and then turned around and rescinded it once they had the students enrolled and starting classes and parents were returning to work.

[ConservativeInPA]

If there is one group that lacks the ability to think and perform their jobs more than teachers, it would be principals and school administrators. It’s the blind leading the blind to make children blind and ignorant. (Or full of leftist ideology.)

The entire idea of government schools needs to be burned down.

[apoliticalone]

Then they retire on 100% pensions or more as do many state workers. Average private sector workers without pensions are now sacrificial lambs forced to compensate state workers. If the Biden economy collapses the private sector public will be required to subsidize their pensions. We need to consider now how the government may end up taking what we have to subsidize their own, and what then we will do.