A divided Highlands School Board passes plan for return to in-person classes 5 days a week

Students in Highlands School District will resume five-day, in-person classes when school resumes in August.

In a 5-4 vote, the school board approved the plan at a special meeting Monday.

Under the plan, wearing masks in the schools is voluntary for students and staff in school.

But they are mandatory aboard school buses, as public transportation, under guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It also provides an option for online learning at home through the Highlands Virtual Academy for parents and students who are not comfortable with voluntary mask-wearing.

The plan was developed by a Highlands task force of parents, teachers and administrators using state and federal guidelines. It covers all grades, from pre-K through high school.

School board members Laura Butler, Nicole Kocon, Gene Witt, Kelli Canonge and Bobbie Neese voted to approve the plan. Debbie Beale, Kristie Babinsack, Robert Betts and Judy Wisner voted against it.

Public reaction mixed

Parents who spoke to the board during the Zoom virtual meeting appeared to be as divided as the rest of the country on the issue of masks.

Shane Chesher of Harrison presented a petition purported to have 115 signatures urging the school board to allow children to unmask in school, noting people now are going unmasked throughout the community as more are protected by vaccinations.

“Who are we protecting at this point? The vaccinated? The school board and its liability concerns?” he said. “When does the madness end?”

Another Harrison parent said, “My kids did not do well with the virtual learning. I believe the parents should have the choice. I want my kids to breathe free, and I want other parents to have that choice, also.”

Aasta Deth of Harrison supported mandating masks for all students, but only for the first two months of the school year. She noted federal health officials anticipate having a vaccine for children sometime in October.

“I believe if you make masks optional, then you are taking my children’s safety away,” she said.

Nathan Petrak of Harrison said, while he supports the plan, making masks voluntary contradicts the CDC’s guidance. He agreed with Deth that masks should be required for the first months of school, particularly for the elementary and middle school buildings.

“What’s another nine weeks, at this point, to protect our students and staff?” Petrak said.

Christa Jones of Tarentum said, “I think we need to follow whatever the (CDC) procedures are. If the children have been vaccinated, they shouldn’t have to mask.

“How you are going to do that (enforcement), I don’t know,” she added.

Bullying concerns aired

Other district residents who spoke voiced concerns about the affects of masking or virtual learning on the mental health of the students, especially the younger ones.

Susan Bajack of Natrona Heights touched on another aspect of the masking debate. Speaking to the other parents tuned into the meeting, Bajack said, “Please, teach your kids not to bully the kids who are wearing them. I’ve seen adults in the community bullying other adults who are wearing masks.

“Please each your kids to be respectful.”

Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said she will advise administrators and staff to be diligent in regard to any bullying of students who are wearing a mask and to address it swiftly.

Plan details

Before the board voted, Mawhinney discussed the plan in brief.

She said district administrators and staff will work to maintain a distance of 3 feet between students.

But she conceded, in some classrooms, that might not be possible.

Custodial staff will continue to clean and disinfect the schools daily , particularly high-traffic areas. Students will be provided laptop computers by the district, and they will be encouraged to wipe them down on a regular basis.

Mawhinney said the district has purchased the elementary school program and platform for the Highlands Virtual Academy. That will allow elementary students to engage in virtual learning, if that’s what they and their parents choose.

A caution about change

She said any changes in the plan would be made only with the board’s approval and the plan might continue to be fluid depending on recommendations and regulations from health officials.

“You could be approving something tonight, and tomorrow it may all change,” Mawhinney said. “Our No. 1 goal is to keep the kids safe. That’s what it is and what it always will be.”