SOLON– It’s time to ditch the masks.
A handful of parents and a middle school student asked members of the Solon school board to consider loosening mitigation procedures, if not for the remainder of the school year, then for next year.
Six individuals signed up to speak at the April 15 board meeting.
All thanked board members and administration for allowing in-person schooling the entire year.
But they also asked the district to review COVID-19 protocols, including quarantine rules and mask requirements.
Parent Landon Rochholz summed up much of the sentiment.
While thanking the board for keeping school open, he reported mask-wearing was hindering students.
Administrators and students are seen all over the community every day outside or in grocery stores or restaurants, he said.
“And they’re not wearing masks or social distancing a lot and the kids notice this,” he added.
Rochholz said it’s unreasonable to expect students to cover their faces at school.
Federal recommendations for quarantining varied over the course of the year, Rochholz continued. His son was required to quarantine for 14 days in the middle of wrestling season and never became ill.
“Obviously he was pretty upset about that,” he stated. “But, I know the school district did what they had to do at the time. Obviously, November was peak season for COVID if you look at the numbers.”
But with the climate of the pandemic improving, Rochholz asked the district to revisit its policies.
“Going forward with vaccinations and all the data we have, I’d like to see those policies loosen up a little bit and hopefully parents could have some input on the quarantining of their children if they’ve been exposed.”
He also asked if there was a reason high school-level band and chorus could compete in events and perform concerts while lower grades were not.
“I guess it was too dangerous, I’m not sure on that,” he observed.
Over 800,000 Iowans have had two-shot vaccinations, he reported.
“I feel like our children are not at risk, I don’t feel like the teachers are at risk and our numbers and data in this zip code specifically, prove this,” he said.
He urged the board members to reduce mask wearing and quarantining requirements.
“Give our students back freedom, normalcy and excitement to end the school year going into the next school year,” he concluded.
The district continues to follow the guidance of the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), Superintendent Davis Eidahl explained subsequent to the meeting.
Eidahl said a letter was sent to all district parents outlining adjustments made to the school’s mitigation plan, including libraries opened for all activities, shared instructional material between students and locker use by request at the high school.
According to the parent communication, the district’s mitigation team recently met to review the March adjustments and the use of masks for the remainder of the school year.
“The team did not debate the effectiveness of masks, but rather focused on the necessity of their use to minimize the possibility of quarantines, which are still required by the IDPH,” the letter stated. “When a positive test is confirmed, the district is required to identify possible exposure of other students and adults. Exposure is any individual that was within 6 feet of the positive individual for 15 consecutive minutes.
“The IDPH guidance acknowledges masks as a protectant from quarantine, if all individuals identified as a contact were masked,” the letter continued. “The district will continue to expect mask use through the remainder of this school year to minimize or even eliminate the need for individuals to quarantine.”
But parents at the board meeting, like Jen Erwin, highlighted the impact of wearing masks on the social and emotional development of young children.
Erwin also expressed her gratitude for keeping kids in school. The evidence shows it was the right decision, she stated.
Since March 21, she said, there has not been a day with more than nine students and staff quarantined with two percent absenteeism, proof the infectious diseases have run their course.
She suggested the school system separate what has happened to adults and the elderly during the pandemic and look at what is best for children, especially in light of rising vaccination rates.
The initial purpose of the strict COVID-19 protocols was to reduce the number of fatalities and not overrun the health care system, she said. It’s time for the district to look at local data and ask if the mitigation efforts are necessary, she added.
Communication is greatly inhibited when wearing masks, she continued, and adults can find it difficult to understand completely what a person is saying.
Erwin said peer and adult pressure to wear masks from staff and students needs to stop.
She suggested the district consider the academic, physical and emotional health of children and give them a choice of wearing masks or not.
“These kids, they are just kids,” she commented. “We need to be realistic for what kids need and what they are capable of.”
Stef Gates argued 65 percent of verbal communication through speech is through facial expressions.
As the parent of an incoming kindergarten student, she was disappointed to learn masks were expected for fall, with students in pods and designated recess zones.
Gates said it was not how she wanted her child to start his education.
Masking teachers and students places another barrier to language and reading for younger kids and slows development, she asserted.
“Masks teach children that other people are not safe and that they are dangerous to other people,” she claimed.
School should be a place where kids feel safe and comfortable, she added.
“I know I speak for an overwhelming number of people in the school district when I say that next fall we do not want a new normal for our kids, we want normal.”
The comments were tempered by Jason Burns, the parent of a third grader, who asked the board to listen not only to the community, but to experts at the state and local level.
The final speaker was eighth-grader Isaiah Zoske, who told board members he moved to Solon last summer. He thanked the board members for using data, science and common sense in making decisions.
“I’m thankful that you didn’t listen to those who tried to keep us home out of fear and political motivation,” he said.
While it made sense to be overly cautious to start the year, Zoske said, it’s time to revisit mitigation restrictions.
“Let us use lockers,” he said, noting the chance of surface contamination is now thought to be very low.
“It’s also time to take off the masks,” he added. “They don’t work, period.”
Zoske alleged masks “may” prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and further suggested people were playing politics with school students.
“Kids aren’t at risk, and teachers have been vaccinated,” he said. “We’re not wearing masks for safety, it’s political.”
He said it was time for the school board to support kids and go back to normal.
Board President Tim Brown appreciated hearing from the community.
“We are appreciative of the support shown by the families in the district and the broader community that has allowed us to keep our schools open for in-person learning,” he commented. “The district will continue to monitor conditions and adapt our mitigation efforts as we have done throughout the year. I personally appreciate all that our staff has done to make this year a success, despite the challenges we have faced.”