Masks off: North Penn lifts mandate
District change based on new CDC guidance
On Tuesday, the masks came off.
The North Penn School Board voted unanimously on Monday night to make masks optional for students, based on the latest federal guidelines.
“The CDC, on Friday, issued new guidance incorporating the number of hospital beds being used, the number of hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID cases in a particular area,” said Superintendent Curt Dietrich.
“Montgomery County now has a designation of ‘Medium,’ and with that, we have a revised health and safety plan, which would call for optional masking going into effect during periods of ‘Low’ and ‘Medium.’ In this case, since we’re at medium, it would be masks optional, effective tomorrow according to the motion, for all of our schools and for transportation,” he said Monday night.
Throughout the pandemic, parents have asked the board to consider revising its health and safety plan, which was last updated in January and linked mask requirements to COVID-19 transmission levels reported by Montgomery County.
The latest federal guidance issued Friday triggered a similar announcement by Montgomery
County’s Office of Public Health and an update to North Penn’s plan, which Dietrich summarized in a special full board meeting held virtually before two regularly scheduled board committee meetings.
After a brief summary by the superintendent, several board members asked questions about the specifics, including board member Al Roesch asking how the updated plan would address students who are immunocompromised. Dietrich said anyone who needs such accommodations would take that requirement to administrators, particularly if those requirements are part of the student’s IEP or Individualized Education Program.
“We would see what we can do to accommodate any kind of request that would stem from that. We’d be mindful of that, we’d try our best to be able to accommodate that,” Dietrich said. Board member Jonathan Kassa then asked how staff with similar is
sues would be handled, and Dietrich said the same way; Kassa then asked if the district’s union representatives were aware of the update, and Dietrich said they were. “We have not received any feedback to the contrary, so we’re ready to move forward,” Dietrich said. Under the updated health and safety plan, the superintendent added, the masking would return if the community reaches the “High” designation under the new CDC standards, and Montgomery County’s Office of Public Health is expected “to have some additional discussions” with superintendents across the county this week. Board President Tina Stoll then opened the floor to public comment, and the first was made by Jane Hoenig, who said she attends Gwynedd Square Elementary School. “I would like to ask the board to make masks optional, because sometimes it’s hard to breathe. My second reason is that it’s hard to sing in chorus. My final reason is that it makes me feel sad. I’ve heard that a lot of districts are getting rid of them. Thank you for listening,” she said. Roseann Gaad asked why the district had not communicated the updated CDC guidance to families immediately, or make a change faster. “We have only asked for you to do what’s right for our children, and allow each family to make the best decision for them,” she said. Jessie Bradica thanked the board for making the change, and said she had noted increased learning gaps, learning loss, mental health issues, and acts of violence during the nearly two years mask mandates have been in place. “The mitigation strategies this board has forced our children to endure for two years, for a virus that has never been more harmful than the flu, has inflicted a level of harm to every single student in your care. And that won’t be forgotten,” she said. Patricia Nye introduced her kindergartner, who attends Gwyn Nor Elementary, who said “I don’t want to wear masks, because some people can’t hear me.” Erin Blanc said her children asked her to tell the board “They’re done. They’re done with the masks, and we’re not putting them back on again. I see that you still have a hold on us in this health and safety plan, and it’s very disappointing and disheartening. The children are not harmed by COVID. We are done,” she said. Jason Lanier questioned the sudden change by the federal CDC, saying he felt it was prompted by “a political data problem. This is not a COVID problem. It never has been, and you guys should know better.” “Now, we’re in a situation where ‘Hey, you know what? This isn’t looking so good for next November, so let’s change the way we’re measuring how people are in high,’ or medium or whatever,” he said. Kunbi Rudnick said she felt the past two years were “difficult for everyone,” particularly the arrival of changing variants of the virus. “There were some variants there. The masks were life savers. And I want to thank you on behalf of those lives that were saved, because of the intelligence that we took with the mask mandates,” she said. “Yes, there are differences in the science today. And as any intelligent person will inform you, given that there are different variants that respond differently to cloth masks, N-95 masks, et cetera. Which is scientific, and not just by anecdotal information. I know that it has made a difference,” Rudnick said. Lauren Riley said she was “really can’t ask for anything else, especially now that vaccines are available as a choice for our schoolchildren.” “I just wanted to thank you all as a board, for not attempting to be experts in fields where you’re not experts, but to just consider the guidance of the experts that do exist, and taking those steps to keep us all safe.” Diana Blystone suggested one key step now: “making it known to every principal, and every person that work with our children, that there is no bullying to be had by the kids who wear the mask, and who do not wear the mask,” saying she’s heard from her children that students have already done so over their vaccination status. “That needs to stop, because kids are already suffering with anxiety, and things they have never had to experience in their lives. The bullying needs to not happen, and needs to be addressed,” she said. Lauren Selip said she’s a sophomore at North Penn High School, and “I personally do not feel comfortable around unmasked students in schools, and I know plenty of my friends and other classmates feel the same way.” “I don’t feel safe going to school, and I don’t want to risk my health and my safety every single day, just to get an education. I know that many people here want to get rid of the masks, but as a student myself, I do wish that we can keep them,” she said. Christy Nacholette of Towamencin introduced her daughter, a first grader at Inglewood Elementary, who said, “I don’t like masks, because they always kinda itch me, and it’s hard to breathe. Also, when I raise my hand, my teacher can’t really hear me.” “My son gets very, very frustrated, and I feel like a lot of the kids are, because the teachers can’t hear them, but they’re not allowed to pull the masks down. It’s really hard to communicate with teachers, especially if they’re in the back of the room,” Nacholette said. After the public comments but before the vote, Roesch said his grandson “has a sensitivity issue to masks, and I know that he’s very happy that we’re voting to make masks optional.” Kassa then said he thought the vote to change the plan was proof the board was “able to adapt.” “As elected representatives of the community, it’s important for us to make sure that we are listening, that we are responsive, and that our votes reflect that,” he said. Board member Juliane Ramic then asked solicitor Kyle Somers to clarify why the special meeting was held, and Somers said the only way to modify the plan previously approved by the board would be in a public meeting. “The only instance in which a board may take action, is at a meeting of the board. And any meeting of the board needs to be advertised in advance of that meeting, including in a newspaper of general circulation,” he said. “Short of perhaps a meeting over the weekend — but even then, I don’t believe we would’ve hit the advertising time necessary — this is really the soonest that the board could have met,” Somers said, and the board then voted unanimously to approve the plan update. North Penn’s school board next meets at 7 p.m. on March 17 at North Penn High School, 1340 Valley Forge Road in Towamencin. For more information visit www.NPenn.org.