JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) – Parents flooded school district phone lines, inboxes, and social media on Thursday to voice their displeasure following Governor Tom Wolf’s announcement of a new mask mandate for K-12 schools.
(Dr. Brooke Decker, left, of Marshall, Director, Infection Prevention, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, argues with Dana Gibson, right, of McCandless, about Ms. Gibson’s opposition to a mask mandate for students before the North Allegheny School District school board regarding the district’s mask policy, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, at North Allegheny Senior High School in McCandless, Pa. Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP.)
A recent poll on exploreJeffersonPA.com has shown that a majority of parents, guardians, and local residents in Jefferson County and the surrounding areas are against the mandate.
“Government should not be dictating. It should be a choice of parents and students,” area resident Parry Caruso said.
“Seeing as natural immunity after having it and surviving (like the vast majority of people do) is proven to be the best way to fight this and school kids very rarely have severe reactions when getting it, the obvious answer is no. No mandate. Optional only,” Ryan George noted.
“We know our kids and for some kids, a mask just adds stress and more trauma if they have ever experienced someone covering their mouths. Parents are smart enough to decide. We know our kids best,” Jennifer Lynn added.
With so many people opposed to the mandate, it isn’t surprising that some parents have been utilizing social media to discuss the issue and organize a response.
A Facebook group titled No masks for BASD (Brookville Area School District) was formed on Tuesday and currently has over 500 members.
Organizer Samantha Shoffstall said she and several other local parents with children at Brookville Area School District started the group in response to the new mask mandate.
“The response we have gotten from the community of fellow parents and members of the community that don’t have children in school has been phenomenal,” Shoffstall said.
“We all are in agreement that we are done being told what to do with our own children. we know what is best for our children and we just want the choice to make those decisions.”
According to Shoffstall, many group members plan to send their children to school without masks on Tuesday, September 7.
“Most parents will be sending notes with their children stating they do not want masks put on their children and they are opting out of this order. Some parents have mentioned not sending their child at all and keeping them at home.”
She noted that many parents have also been contacting school board members and the district’s superintendent with their concerns, but no one had reported receiving any response yet.
Calls and emails from Explore to Brookville Area School District about the issue were also not immediately returned.
A similar group, Brockway Families Against Mask Mandates, was also formed this week and has over 200 members.
Brockway Superintendent Jeff Vizza said he has had an “enormous” amount of feedback from the community about the new mandate.
“This whole situation is very frustrating especially with school already starting,” Vizza said.
“I think the majority of our parents understand this is beyond our control, this is definitely something happening at state level. For the most part, this community has worked well with our district – they believe in sticking together. I just think they’re as frustrated as we are.”
Vizza noted while most of the feedback the district has received has been people against the mandate, they have also received feedback from some people who support it, as well.
In contrast, Punxsutawney Area Superintendent Tom Lesniewski said his administration had received very little feedback on the issue so far.
“That will probably change next week when the order goes into effect,” he noted.
In neighboring Clarion County, parents in the Redbank Valley School District took to social media to react to the DOH order that was released on Tuesday after the district posted an update about the mandate.
“Having had zero COVID cases to report thus far this school year, many Redbank Valley parents were concerned about their rights as parents and are working through balancing orders vs. the welfare of their children,” Acting Superintendent Amy Rupp noted.
“Communications between the district and the parents have been cordial and both parties are working through the mandate together.”
Parents are also banding together in Keystone School District to make a concerted effort against the mandate.
A Facebook group titled My Kid My Choice Keystone School District was started on Wednesday and a meeting of likeminded Keystone School District residents has been planned for 4 p.m. on Monday at Peanut Park in Knox.
“We are an organization that believes we as parents know what is best for our children,” organizer Jason Say told said.
“We’ve been in this pandemic for two years now and understand the risks. Our motto is simple: ‘Our Kids, Our Choice.'”
Say also noted that the group isn’t intended to be political in nature.
“We don’t care if you are Republican, Democrat, liberal, or conservative. If you believe that the best interest of kids and their health decisions should ultimately be the decision of parents then our group is for you.”
Some schools, such as Union School District, are allowing students to be exempted from masking under certain criteria.
Union School District announced in a social media post on Thursday that they have a “Sworn Affidavit for Exception to Covering Requirement” form located on their website under “Covid Related Information” for anyone who feels that their student meets the particular requirements listed for exception as noted in the original order.
These exceptions include cases where wearing a face covering would either cause a medical condition, or exacerbate an existing one, including respiratory issues that impede breathing, a mental health condition, or a disability.
The post indicates students who qualify for the exemption shall receive a district-issued “Accommodation Card” which may be presented if/when addressed for not having a mask, signifies that the student has met the requirement for an exception.
“Please know that our school district continues to respect a parent’s right to make positive choices for their child and our goal is to operate within the confines of the laws and mandates put upon us while also providing as much room for parental choice as possible,” the post states.
The issue of mask mandates may have heated up across Pennsylvania recently, but has also been a major topic of debate across the nation as COVID-19 numbers have taken an upturn due to the Delta variant.
According to information posted on Parents for Mask Choice in Schools and several other related pages and groups, a Nationwide School Walkout protesting mask mandates is being planned for Friday, September 10 at 10:00 a.m.
Republican legislative leaders have also denounced the Wolf administration’s new mandate, saying it should be a matter for local school boards.
Rep. Donna Oberlander (R-Clarion/Armstrong/Forest) is one of the leaders who has been vocally in opposition to the order. On Wednesday, Oberlander released a statement calling the mandate “a violation of our freedoms” and a “power grab” by Governor Wolf.
“We need school boards to fight back against this unenforceable mandate. We need parents to stand up for their children and do what is best for their families,” Oberlander said.
Rep. Brian Smith (R-Jefferson/Indiana) said in social media post on Wednesday, that after refusing to institute a mandate themselves, he and other fellow legislators are currently reviewing the specifics of the new mandate.
Senators Doug Mastriano (R-33) and Judy Ward (R-30) recently introduced Senate Bill 846, which would require school districts to develop and promote a plan for parents or legal guardians to opt-out out their child from wearing a face covering or mask. Under this bill, the plan would also have to state that a child who has been opted-out will not be subject to any harassment or discriminatory treatment.
“The Wolf Administration repeatedly said over the past few months that this would be a local decision. Once most school districts rejected mask mandates (Over 90%), Governor Wolf quickly changed his position when those officials made a decision that he didn’t like,” Mastriano said in a release.
“The Wolf Administration does not have the legal authority to do this. In May, we voted to end the Governor’s Emergency Declaration after the voters of Pennsylvania made their voices loud and clear. I will be supporting a legal challenge to this misguided mandate.”
Legislators aren’t the only ones questioning the legal underpinnings of the mandate.
While voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution limiting the amount of time a governor can issue a disaster declaration to 21 days and approved another change to the Constitution to allow the legislature to extend or end a disaster declaration by a majority vote in May, the governor’s office says the health secretary still has the authority to issue a mask order, and Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam signed the order under her authority provided by the Disease Prevention and Control Law.
However, Eric Winter, Esq. of Prince Law Offices, published a blog post on Wednesday arguing that the order goes beyond the scope of what would be lawful.
According to Winter, the language in the Disease Prevention and Control Law does give the Department of Health the authority to issue “control measures” for viral outbreaks, but language in the law indicates it is intended to be done at a local level.
“The Department of Health only has authorities over schools where there has been an outbreak. Even where there has been an outbreak, that control measure must be limited and for an appropriately short duration. This current order could theoretically last forever and covers tens of thousands of children who have not been exposed to the virus,” Winter argues.
Winter also states that violations of the Virus and Disease Control Law and the Administrative Code of 1929 and the Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955 are only punishable by filing summary citations, with maximum fines between $50 to $300.
“I have tried many of these citations. I am not aware of anyone being found guilty of these citations,” he noted.
Winter suggests that school boards continued to follow the plans they already developed and file for declaratory judgment and/or quarantine relief asking that the order be declared invalid.
“Local school boards need to stand up for their authority. They should be making the decisions as to virus management within their buildings. The local school board knows their staff, they know their resources and they know the local community. They were elected to do their job and should be allowed to do the job they were elected to do.”
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