The Polk County School Board decided to officially vote on its mask mandate policy on June 8 so the new superintendent, Frederick Heid, can take part in the discussion, disappointing about two dozen parents at a work session meeting, who wanted the mandate ended immediately.
“I hope you understand the perspective you heard today,” School Board Chairwoman Lori Cunningham told the crowd before they left the meeting. “I really believe we need to say it really is mask-optional in the fall. There may be people immuno-compromised who want to continue to wear masks. Children as well as adults. I just think that’s what we need going forward because I think everybody’s journey is so different and that needs to be respected.”
Cunningham said it is important to keep the mask mandate in place through the end of the school year to ensure that seniors don’t miss their graduation ceremonies.
“I would not want that for any of our children,” Cunningham said. “Once again, you may not have COVID, but if you’re contact-traced by one of our high schools, you might not be allowed to go to your own graduation…it just doesn’t make sense with only a couple of weeks left to take a chance with graduation.”
School Board attorney Wes Bridges pointed out that the memorandum of understanding with the teachers union ends on the last day of the spring semester, which is June 4. He said to lift the mask mandate before then would violate the agreement.
All School Board members voiced an opinion that they did not want masks to be mandatory in the fall, after most employees will have been vaccinated should they so choose.