CLARION TWP., Pa. (EYT) — Masks were back on the agenda at Wednesday evening’s Clarion-Limestone School board meeting.
(Photos by Dave Cyphert of ProPoint Media Photography)
Up for consideration was the approval of the administration’s implementation of the August 31, 2021, face-covering order by the Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of Health.
Discussion of the topic began before the agenda item was even raised, first during the administrative reports, and then later during the public comment period.
During the administrative reports, Superintendent Amy Glasl asked Director of Special Education, Jason Edmonds, to address the board and those in attendance about the order and the administration’s implementation.
Edmonds started by strongly encouraging everyone with concerns about the order to read the entire order, as well as the related guidance, frequently asked questions, and related definitions from the CDC and the Department of Health.
He noted that C-L administrators had spent a total of over 100 hours on the topic and were as frustrated as many community members are.
“We don’t have a law, and we don’t have a mandate from the governor. We don’t even have the CDC issuing guidance that supports the current position. We have the Secretary of Health issuing an order premised upon the Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955.
“Then, we have the Department of Education offering guidance on preventing the spread of disease. During all of this, we’re still required to adhere to the hundreds of lawfully enacted statutes and limitations implementing the same.”
Edmonds went on to note the order itself contains many inconsistencies, and the guidance has a distinct lack of consistency.
“We have an order that is incredibly vague and inconsistent. Based on this information, we will continue to be flexible and adjust, as needed.”
However, he also noted that the district is implementing the order “to the letter,” which expressly provides for a number of exceptions for masking, including an exception for any case where wearing a face-covering could “cause a medical condition or exacerbate an existing one, including respiratory issues, that impede breathing, a mental health condition, or a disability.”
According to Edmonds, the guidance specifies that the district “must provide reasonable accommodations for individuals who state they have a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that makes it unreasonable for the person to maintain a face covering.” It also notes a school should not enforce masking when there is an exception of this type.
He also noted that the order and guidance do not specify that the medical condition, mental health condition, or disability must be documented or supported by a medical professional, and nowhere in the order does it outline a process for submission or approval of exceptions, it simply says the individual must “state” they have such a condition.
Edmonds also reported there have been individuals on both sides of the masking issue threatening legal action.
“We have people on both sides talking about lawsuits: lawsuits if the order is aggressively enforced, and lawsuits if the order is not aggressively enforced.”
According to Edmonds, the district is “not attempting to pick sides in the political debate,” and plans to try to comply with all of the laws and regulations while focusing on the good of the students.
“The district will continue to implement the order as it is written. If the order is modified or requirements are changed, the administrative team will continue to work to ensure full compliance.”
He also encouraged people to not only read the full order, related guidance, and other information, but for those who have issues with any aspect of the order, he suggested they contact the government agencies responsible for issuing it.
During the public comments period, three people spoke on the mask topic, with one speaker voicing approval of the current implementation and two speakers asking the school to encourage more students to wear masks.
When the agenda item itself came up, board members Rebecca Allison and Dave Eggleton spoke in favor of the current implementation, and board member Brian Huwar commended Edmonds on his explanation of how the administration came to their decision on implementation.
Board members Kathy Henry, Joe Billotte, and Larry Jamison all voiced concerns about the current implementation, with Henry and Jamison citing mainly health concerns, and Billotte also mentioning liability issues for the district and the board members if the district doesn’t comply closely enough to the order.
Board president Nathaniel Parker commended the board for the respectful conversation, despite having different points of view, and noted the board is again dealing with a highly politicized issue while trying to focus on educating local students.
Following the discussion, the motion to approve the implementation of the order passed in a 5-3 vote, with Kathy Henry, Larry Jamison, and Joe Billotte voting against the motion, and board member Corry Bish was absent from the meeting.
