Many residents disapprove of mask policy
The Exeter School Board voted 6-3 to mandate mask wearing indoors for all staff and students provided Berks County remains in the substantial or high COVID-19 spread-rate categories for two consecutive weeks.
The mandate will stay in effect until the board votes to lift the requirement. The first day of school is Aug. 30 and its unclear if masks will be mandated to start the year.
Berks was in the substantial spread category for two weeks until Monday when the county reached the high spread level of 100 cases per 100,000 population over seven days.
Exeter has become the fifth district in Berks to pass some type of mask policy. Many had left masking as optional.
Wilson, Wyomissing, Gov. Mifflin and Kutztown school districts are the others.
Exeter schools held its meeting in the Owatin Elementary School cafeteria to accommodate more than 200 attendees, about 25 of whom signed up to speak during a two-hour public comment.
That devolved into a chaotic screaming match.
Exeter Township police provided several uniformed officers to ensure public safety at the meeting.
The majority of the commenters spoke against mask mandates, with some mentioning that masks interfere with breathing.
Complaints against the board included transparency and disregarding parental rights.
Briefing and the vote
The Exeter schools pandemic task force briefed the board.
Task force officials said that they were given the new mitigation measures from the state Department of Health on Monday and gave their recommendations to the board.
Recommendations mirrored the state’s with the exception of a masking mandate for unvaccinated teachers and employees.
The state also recommended, but did not mandate, all students wearing masks.
The board had previously made masking an option in Exeter schools.
Some board members were just seeing the new guidelines for the first time and had an hourlong discussion including a motion to postpone the vote until they had more time to read it.
During the discussion board member Michael B. Jupina Jr. made the motion to require masking as long as the county spread rate was substantial or high. The motion passed and an uproar from some of the crowd and shouting ensued.
Board members John T.
Fidler, Dr. Ann Hearing and Hunter L. Ahrens voted against the mandate, citing not enough time to process the recommendations and consider parents’ personal choices.
In other business, the board accepted the resignation of Dr. Sharon McClendon effective Wednesday because she is moving out of the state. Board members thanked her for her service to the school.