CLARION CO., Pa. (EYT) – Clarion Area School District was featured in recent national news comparing the extreme differences in how districts are approaching the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Washington Post article looked at the differences in how Clarion Area is handling pandemic mitigation efforts as opposed to a school district in Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C.
According to the article, while a district mandate requiring students and teachers to wear masks was “uncontroversial,” and considered to be an effective safety measure in Alexandria, the same cannot be said for Clarion, where the article contends people feel masks symbolize “a capitulation to what they believe to be hysteria over a pandemic whose dangers they say are hyped up by the government and the media.”
The article goes on to dig into how the two different communities came to these different conclusions on the issue.
While the school in Alexandria chose to follow advice from officials, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other scientists, Clarion residents harbor more suspicion of these authorities.
The article includes quotes from Clarion Area Superintendent Joe Carrico, who stated the community isn’t seeing many cases at the moment.
In addition, the article states various reasons why Clarion County residents are resistant to COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
For example, The Washington Post interviewed Todd MacBeth, a former teacher and principal who serves on the Clarion Area School Board.
MacBeth cited concerns with students breathing “their own exhaust” in masks. He added that he was concerned for the mental health of students after hearing from young people who said they “dreaded” attending classes in masks.
“You know, kids need to breathe in free, fresh air,” MacBeth explained. “And, the idea of masks is just abhorrent to me.”
Local small business owner Alyssa Morrison, who is involved in the My Kid My Choice Clarion Area School District group, was also quoted in the article saying she plans to fight the new statewide school mask mandate.
The article also indicated that the Associated Press recently reported two Republican state lawmakers, two private Christian schools, and a trio of parents filed a lawsuit on Friday in Commonwealth Court seeking to overturn the mask mandate.
While the fight against the mandate is ongoing, the article noted there was a growing acceptance of the decision, by local social studies teacher Dave Constantino, who noted it gave him an opportunity for a civics lesson about rights and responsibilities.
According to the information gathered by the Washington Post, Clarion County’s COVID-19 statistics are worse, per capita, than statistics from Alexandria, with a higher rate of overall cases. The most recent new statistics show an average of about 23 cases per 100,000 people in Clarion County, as opposed to just 15 new cases per 100,000 people in Alexandria.
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