Perry County school boards OK resolution calling for ‘local control’ on mask mandates

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At least two school boards approved similar resolutions last week urging the state return decisions about masking in schools to “local control,” but also said they would continue to abide by the mask mandates Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration placed on districts at the beginning of the academic year.

The Susquenita School Board and the Newport School Board approved resolutions on Oct. 12. Both resolutions use nearly identical wording, and admonish the state departments of Health, and Education for taking such decisions as face masks in school away from local boards.

In each case, the boards said it was a response to parents and community members who were opposed to the mask mandates. Those have been in place since spring 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory illness that became a global pandemic.

“This is our response to the parents and community members who came out, who were concerned about the mask order,” Susquenita board Vice President Dr. Michael Jones said when introducing the resolution. “And we heard you, and we also agree that we would take a stance with you.”

The resolution contains 16 statements outlining how school boards and the state manage school matters, as well as the particulars of how the state changed its position about mask mandates. The districts said those changes took control out of the hands of local school boards and caused confusion.

“Whereas, issuing the order on Aug. 31, 2021, with an effective date of Sept. 7, 2021, caused significant confusion and unnecessary hardship to the district at the start of the school year for students, parents, families, teachers, school employees, administrators, and the Board of School Directors,” Susquenita Superintendent Dr. Jon Fox read from the resolution.

The board did not elaborate what constituted “hardship” in the resolution, nor in the voting meeting. The boards did not say where they got the resolution, which is nearly word-for-word identical.

The resolutions object to the “timing and manner” of the state’s mask mandates, according to the text, but goes on to say it is required to and will comply with such mandates until they are overruled by a court or rescinded. There is a pending court case in the issue of mask mandates and schools.

The board briefly discussed the resolution when the idea was introduced by Fox at the Oct. 5 caucus meeting, but it was not accompanied by any lengthy discussion on the topic.

In Newport, recent meetings saw a variety of opinions from the public on masks and vaccines, with many against the mask mandate on schools. At least one Newport board member mentioned the state mandates when he resigned last month.

The boards have an ally in state Sen. John DiSanto, who represents Perry County and northern Dauphin County. Newport board President Robert Folk said several members met with the legislator to discuss the matter.

DiSanto was invited to address the board but instead issued a supportive letter due to other commitments.

“I, like many of you, disagree with Governor Wolf’s approach and am frustrated and angered by his decision to go back on the pledge he had made this summer to allow masking to be addressed by the health and safety plans adopted by local school boards.”

DiSanto concluded by advising the organizations of a letter writing campaign to both the executive and legislation branch on the matter.

“Hopefully, together, we can return these personal decisions to the people who should be making them,” DiSanto said.

The Republican legislature and Democratic governor have been at odds over some COVID-19 policies, including the length of emergency declarations and continuation of some public precautions.

Newport board member Patricia Dorman fully endorsed the letter writing campaign and implored the public to let their elected leaders know how they felt on the matter.

Greenwood School District has not addressed such a resolution, Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Guarente said last week. West Perry School Board had a meeting Monday night. A report from that was not available at press time, but it too had heard from community members who did not like the mask mandates.

Since last year, masking in schools, government and other places where large numbers of people gather has been the norm to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. The infectious respiratory illness has killed more than 700,000 people nationwide, more than 30,500 in Pennsylvania and 116 people in Perry County as of Oct. 18, according to state and national sources.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health website reports there were 225 case of COVID among school age individuals in Perry County since Aug. 16 including 18 in the week ending Oct. 12.

The highest number of cases in the county have been in the zip codes that comprise the Susquenita and Newport school districts, according to the state. And while there’s some indication the pandemic could be waning, especially where vaccination rates are highest, that was not the case in Perry County.

In September, the county added 500 new cases of COVID and seven more deaths, a rate that hasn’t been seen since before vaccines were widely available. Since the start of October, infections have been steady with averages around 25 new cases per day in Perry. And there have been seven more deaths.

Additionally, only about 40 percent of people in the county over the age of 18 are vaccinated, contributing to the continued spread and serious illness from the virus. Children over the age of 12 can be vaccinated against COVID-19. Statewide, 71 percent of the adult population has been vaccinated.

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