District cancels masks mandate
Face coverings favored, not required in El Dorado schools
EL DORADO — The El Dorado School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to lift the district’s mask mandate immediately, opting instead to recommend masks for all students.
On Aug. 16, the school board voted 4-3 to require universal masking for students, staff, faculty and visitors on all campuses. The El Dorado district’s 2021/2022 Ready for Learning plan — the district’s policy manual for covid-19 protocols this school year — called for all students and staff to wear masks in common areas, during class transitions, on buses and in classrooms when social distancing wasn’t possible.
Students were permitted to take their masks off when outside or when eating or drinking in the cafeteria.
On Tuesday, a special-called school board meeting was held. Superintendent Jim Tucker cited low covid-19 case numbers locally, a low positivity rate in Union County and a low level of virus spread within the district as reasons for the meeting.
“You can still wear a mask. If you want to wear a mask, wear a mask. I definitely recommend it; it’s just not required,” Tucker said.
The school board also empowered Tucker to make changes to the district’s masking policy should the local positivity rate rise above 8%.
“We feel good about where we’re at and if we start going back up, we know that wearing a mask, in part, helped,” he said.
According to data provided by the school district, there were no staff members in quarantine or isolation due to covid-19 on Tuesday. Ten students were in quarantine, including six in isolation.
“I think it’s the right decision. I think it’s what we need to try right now,” Tucker said. “If there seems to be a change for the worse, we’ll do what we need to do to make children safe.”
Tuesday’s decision was made after several parents filed suit against the district over its mask mandate.
Attorneys representing parents Luke Baston, Clifford O. Wilson III, Jamie Wilson and Karen Lynn Dunn allege in the suit that the mask mandate was imposed illegally, and that it violated the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993.
Tucker said the suit played no part in the decision to call a special school board meeting Tuesday or to lift the mask requirement.
“That lawsuit has zero bearing on the decision that was made today,” he said. “We said that [we’d review the mandate] back on August 16, and there was no lawsuit then, and we said it at the last board meeting.”
The News-Times reached out to the Story Law Firm, which is representing the parents in the suit against the school district, but did not hear back by presstime Tuesday.