Meridian, Idaho – A few days before the start of the school year in the West Ada School District, board members vigorously promoted support for the requirement for students and staff to wear masks, but allowed parents to choose not to comply with this requirement.
On Wednesday, hundreds of parents showed up at the West Ada School District office to keep their children from wearing masks.
”I just don’t believe that masks are basically effective. I think they should choose to wear them or not,” Westada’s parent Curtis Shaw told 208.
Parents who have opted out are satisfied with the school district’s decision to let them choose whether to wear a mask for their children.
”Today’s turnout here just indicates the voice that needs to be heard, the voice that has not been heard,” said Lisa Cunningham, another West Ada parent.
”I think we know that parents really want a choice when it comes to their children, especially their children’s health, so we kind of expect that this number will be high,” responded Char Jackson, a spokesperson for the region. To turnout.
After several hours of public comment, shortly before 11pm on Tuesday, a vote was held with a 3-2 voting result to support and oppose the mandatory wearing of masks.
The options chosen by the board will make the mask a requirement. However, students whose parents fill out the exemption form do not need to wear masks.
Dr. Jim Souza and Dr. Kenny Bramwell of St. Luke urged trustees to require masks, noting that there has been a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state, almost entirely of unvaccinated people. Children under 12 years of age have not been approved for vaccination.
This is the opt-out form required by the @westadaschools mask. pic.twitter.com/KbCFn0AJcP
The main participants in the meeting were parents, and both sides had strong opinions on this issue. Some people believed that wearing masks was the best way to ensure the safety of children and the openness of schools, while others testified that wearing masks violated their freedom.
Opponents who opted out of the option pointed out inconsistencies between students and the challenge of collecting exemptions, and the children returned to the classroom on Thursday.
At the meeting on Tuesday, the trustee also voted to relax the isolation restrictions on students who were exposed to COVID-19 while wearing masks or vaccinations in class. Children who have not been vaccinated and did not wear a mask at the time of contact will be required to quarantine at home.
The Boise School District has mandated wearing masks for the 2021-2022 school year, while most other school districts in the area are at the discretion of individual students, faculty, staff, and parents.
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Post time: Aug-26-2021