Northwest Area School Board member leads off lengthy mask mandate debate

UNION TWP. — Northwest Area School Board’s monthly meeting Wednesday lasted only a few minutes as far a voting goes, but the public comments afterward ran for well over an hour as a crowd of about 25 criticized the state school mask mandate — and the first critic was a School Board member.

Some parents also questioned a change in the requirements for mask exemptions.

Initially the district had asked parents to submit a signed form attesting the need for an exemption, but it has since requiring a release allowing the district officials to talk to medical personnel regarding the student’s condition.

Solicitor Angela Evans explained the change was made after the state issued new guidance. “No one is looking to negate a legitimate mask exemption,” she said, “but we do have an obligation to do due diligence.”

Some parents argued the release is too broad, and Evans said such issues could be worked out on an individual basis.

Public comment opened with School Board Member Edward Brunn standing and saying he was speaking as a resident and not as a board member.

Brunn had set up dominoes and wooden blocks representing different child virus data from different time periods, and said it made no sense that a mask mandate was imposed now when the numbers are relatively low. He said other research convinced him state lawmakers from both parties are gaining political advantage but pushing — or not rigorously opposing — the mandate.

Democrats are pushing it for political gain and control, Brunn said, but many Republican state legislators are reaping large donations from businesses profiting from the growth of cyber charter school enrollments caused by the pandemic. With the repeated caveat that “I hope I’m wrong,” He predicted the state will order schools closed in a matter of months, and mandate vaccines in students next year, further pushing people into cyber charters.

While cyber charters are public schools funded with tax money, many contract to private management companies that are not as open to public scrutiny as school districts, he noted. He also pointed out an argument cyber critics have made for years: that cyber charters get a per-pupil payment from public school districts without regard to how much the cyber spends on educating a student.

Near the end of the comments, Jamie Walsh rose to speak. Walsh acknowledged he is a resident of Lake-Lehman School District, but added he has had family involvement in Northwest Area for years.

Walsh had submitted a written statement by him and a document prepared by attorney Eric Winter to the Lake-Lehman School Board at last week’s virtual-only meeting. His statement was read during that meeting, but not the attorney’s document.

Walsh read a very similar statement Wednesday, arguing data shows the mandate does very little to protect children, and he handed out Winter’s document arguing the the mandate is illegal. He noted he has arranged an opportunity for the public to hear from Winter on Oct. 12, 7 p.m., at High Point Community Church.

While the voting session did include a handful of appointments, the board tabled the appointment of several coaches for spring sports. The board did approve revisions to the Radiological Plan for this school year covering emergencies at the nearby nuclear plant. Superintendent Joseph Long said the changes addressed concerns raised by bus drivers, residents and emergency responders at previous meeting when they argued the plan did not assure all involved parties got needed information quickly.

Long also stressed the district’s acute need for substitute teachers and urged anyone eligible to apply. The district currently pays $95 per day, but Long said an increase is under consideration.