Mount Dora eases mask rule
Schools can apply for exemptions from order on face coverings
After parents at a Christian school said they worried requiring their children to wear masks throughout the day would harm their education, Mount Dora agreed Friday to allow campuses to apply for exceptions to a citywide mask order.
Forcing children to wear masks all day could cause “psychological” harm, hinder communication between students and teachers and prevent staff members from identifying campus intruders, Mount Dora Christian Academy parents told the City Council earlier this week.
The school, which enrolls children from preschool to 12th grade, is set to open Aug. 17.
“For you to impose that a 2-year-old is going to actually keep a mask on their little face — have you really thought through this?” parent Wendy Phillips said.
The parents’ pleas were in response to a citywide mask requirement approved in July. Council members generally said the school’s plans to prevent the spread of coronavirus seemed sufficient. Those plans include plexiglass dividers around each desk and in the cafeteria, a school nurse told council members.
However, several council members said they worried about creating a “slippery slope,” with other private organizations also seeking exemptions so on Friday
they approved a process that will only allow schools, and not other businesses, to seek an exception.
The debate came as municipalities across the country weigh whether to require people to wear masks in public places and schools prepare to reopen for the first time since March. Public health experts say masks can help contain the virus and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise Americans to wear them when they leave home.
Mayor Cathy Hoechst said Tuesday’s meeting was similar to the face mask debates that have roiled the country since the coronavirus pandemic hit.
“It’s a very emotional issue,” she said.
Mount Dora Christian Academy, which serves roughly 600 students is offering instruction in traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms, as well as in a hybrid format, which combines online learning, according to the school’s social media pages. Several parents who spoke during Tuesday’s meeting said they chose the campus because they felt their children would be safe there and the school’s Facebook page says it expects to add 160 new students this year.
“Our stance as a school has always been, face masks are recommended, but they are not required,” said Melinda Roman, who said she’s one of two fulltime nurses at Mount Dora Christian and the parent of two students who attend. She added the school isn’t opposed to the use of face masks and the current plans call for students and employees to wear them if they can’t stay at least six feet away from others.
Mount Dora Christian is the only school thus far that has expressed interest in an exception to the city’s mask order, City Manager Robin Hayes said.
Lake County’s public schools, set to open Aug. 24, will require students to wear face masks when they cannot maintain at least six-feet of distance between themselves and others. That could mean wearing them in classrooms, depending on the room setup and the activity. Students also will have to wear them while in line for lunch, on school buses and in hallways.
The region’s other public school districts have similar plans. Seminole County’s plans to tighten its mask requirements Tuesday, mandating that elementary school students wear them in classrooms. That district’s earlier policy said elementary students could remove them at their desks while working independently.
A plan posted to Mount Dora Christian’s website spells out what types of measures will be required on campus depending on the severity of the outbreak. A letter from school president Brian Mast cautioned the protocol could change throughout the year and could hinge on federal, state and local requirements.
“It will be important for us to remember that it will be our responsibility as parents, teachers, students, administrators, and staff to each do our very best to keep our community safe,” Mast wrote. “We will be relying on each of you to do your part.”
Several parents argued that because Mount Dora Christian is a private school, the city shouldn’t be able to dictate whether students and employees need to wear masks there.
“We have processes in place to create an incredible, safe environment which is why we love to pay money to send our children to this fabulous place we call Mount Dora Christian Academy,” Phillips said.
At least 222 Mount Dora Christian students used state-backed scholarships, known as vouchers, to pay tuition last year, sending more than $1.3 million in public funds to the school. And council members said that because the school is within city limits, it’s within their jurisdiction and subject to ordinances just as other private organizations are.
Other parents said they worried children and teachers won’t be able to understand each other if they’re all wearing masks, pointing out that several of the council members did not wear them while they were speaking.
One father said he wanted visitors to be “fully recognizable” in case someone enters campus who shouldn’t be there.
“That is a major safety concern for me as a parent,” he said.