More schools rescinding mask mandates
Parental pressure forcing districts to change course
A growing number of districts have bolstered their mask mandates since the new school year started, but a few rural Ohio districts have already reversed course and others could follow.
Centerburg Local School District in Knox County and Coshocton City Schools in Coshocton County both rescinded their mask mandates this month.
“Depending on where you are in Ohio, you run into areas that are strongly opposed to masking and in those areas, the boards obviously represent the public,” said Van Keating, senior staff attorney for the Ohio School Boards Association. “Then you have other areas that are very strong on the issue of masking and those areas tend to represent the public.”
Gov. Mike Dewine announced last week that nearly 58% of Ohio’s public
K-12 students are required to wear masks in schools as of Friday – a big increase from just 35% on Sept. 1.
The debate over whether to require masks in Ohio schools also has spilled over into local school board meetings and led to protests, public outbursts and angry comments on both sides of the issues.
Nationwide, nine states have banned
school districts from setting universal mask mandates and of those bans, six have been put into effect as of Tuesday, according to Education Week. The other three have been blocked, suspended or are not being enforced.
All told, 16 states and the District of Columbia require masks to be worn in schools, according the magazine reported.
The Centerburg school board voted to rescind the district’s mask mandate on Sept. 13.
“The policy of the district is the family can choose to have their child wear a mask or not wear a mask,” Hebenthal said in a statement after the change was made.
Previously, the district had required all students, staff members and visitors to wear a mask inside any school building or facility. As of Friday, Centerburg Local Schools has had a total of 54 student cases and eight staff cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the school year, according to the district.
Under the change, a student now must quarantine for 10 days if exposed to COVID-19.
The Coshocton City Schools Board of Education voted 4-1 on Sept. 1 to rescind the district’s mask mandate, with the one dissenting vote coming from board President Jere Butcher.
“Other board members felt the majority of parents did not want the mask mandate and voted accordingly,” Butcher said in an email to The Dispatch. “I voted with the opinion that masking would allow more students to stay in the classroom instead of being quarantined as instructed by the (Ohio Department of Health) and local health departments.”
The school board previously decided at its Aug. 19 meeting to require masks for all students, teachers and guests in district buildings, but gave a two-week grace period for mask wearing until after Labor Day onaug. 22.
Superintendent David Hire said on the district’s website that it was allowing the grace period because of concerns and confusion over the timing of the board action, forms given out an open house event giving parents an option for facial coverings and the difficulty of wearing masks indoors without air conditioning at the high school. Classes at the high school were canceled on Aug. 26 and 27 due to extreme heat.
On the first day of school on Aug. 23, about 25 people protested in front of the school campus. Leading the effort was parent Christopher Brown, who started a change.org petition against the mask mandate which received more than 1,500 signatures in about four days.
“Our children have suffered enough. This will not be our children’s new normal. We will not continue to cover the faces of healthy children and treat them as if they’re dangerous. We will not shame them into masks and not condition them to fear their friends and peers,” Brown said. “How many of these kids are happy and smiling behind the masks? How many are constantly nervous or scared?”
Coshocton has had 30 cumulative cases of COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the district.
Ashland City Schools in Ashland County voted 3-2 against a districtwide mask order on Sept. 15. Students and staff members are not required to wear masks in school buildings or on buses. Federal rules, however, for public transportation require masks on school buses, regardless of vaccination status.
“My support was for our parents to advocate and make decisions for their children,” school board memeber Gina Deppert said. “I’m not anti-mask; I’m not anti-vaccination, but I am pro-parent-choice, having six children myself.”
Ashland has had 114 total student cases and seven cumulative staff cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the district.
Mount Vernon City Schools in Knox County added a mask mandate for all students and staff members on Sept. 1 after initially making masks voluntary. The district has had 100 cumulative student cases and seven total staff cases of COVID-19, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
“We understand and respect the strong opinions relative to this topic,” the district said in a statement. “None of us want to be wearing a mask or continue dealing with the negative impacts of COVID. Please respect our charge to keep students safe and educate students realizing that we can’t perform those vital functions if they are home sick or quarantined.”
Masks dominated the extended 30minute public participation portion of Mount Vernon’s latest school board meeting on Monday, the Knoxpages online news site reported.
Ohio Education Association President Scott Dimauro continues to urge school districts to require masks in school buildings.
“There seems to be a pretty clear connection that if you require masks, you are going to keep schools open for in-person instruction, and I think that’s one thing everybody wants to see happen,” he said.
Dimauro said he wasn’t surprised to hear school that some districts had rescinded their mask mandate.
“That sounds like more the exception rather than the rule,” he said. “I think the trend is definitely going in the other direction.”
Information from Leonard L. Hayhurst of the Coshocton Tribune and Christine Jenkinson of the Ashland Times Gazette was used in this story. mhenry@dispatch.om @meganhenry