Harmony Grove opts for no mask mandate

Only days before the first day of school, members of the Harmony Grove School District met Friday night for a special meeting to discuss masking.

The board was split on the issue and ultimately voted to not mandate masks for students and staff.

Board President Jason Finley said even though the board has a regular meeting scheduled for Monday, he called the special meeting to discuss masking.

At the start of the meeting, board members were able to express their feelings about a mask mandate and their own experiences with the virus. While they all agreed that the decision is not an easy one, their opinions on the issue differed.

As a pharmacist, Finley said he was in favor of a mask mandate.

Along with keeping students safe, he also said masking would reduce the amount of people who would have to quarantine.

Also speaking in favor of a mask mandate was Wes Toler, who said he has been torn on the issue.

Toler and Finley were the two members to vote in favor of a mandate.

James Scroggins, Quinn Best and Clyde Crookham voted against a mandate. They said while they were not against masking, they felt it should be the parents’ decision if their children wear masks.

“I’m not going to take that right away from the parents,” Best said. He, as other members of the board, noted during the meeting that they would be up for discussing this issue again if the district received additional information or

an increase in cases.

While a parent who attended the meeting told the board that she had heard feedback from parents who want a mask mandate, Superintendent Heath Bennett said the majority of the feedback he has received has been from parents saying they are happy the district is not requiring masks.

The parents who attended the meeting spoke in favor of a mask mandate.

Parents in the district have a few options for their children. Parents can choose to send their students with or without mask, they can participate in virtual options or choose to homeschool their children.

Bennett said the district has increased the number of virtual spots available for younger students. Virtual learning is not being offered for kindergarten students.