R-2 votes 5-2 against setting district-wide disciplinary action for mask mandate policy

By Roxie Murphy, Staff Writer
Posted 12/30/20

BELLE — The Maries R-2 Board of Education on Dec. 22 voted 5-2 against approving district consequences for students who fail to comply with the mask mandate, stating that they would rather have …

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R-2 votes 5-2 against setting district-wide disciplinary action for mask mandate policy

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BELLE — The Maries R-2 Board of Education on Dec. 22 voted 5-2 against approving district consequences for students who fail to comply with the mask mandate, stating that they would rather have administrators run their buildings as they see fit.

Board Director Amy Kiso made the motion to approve the guidelines that building administrators submitted to the board, and Director Brent Stratman seconded the motion. The two were later voted for the measure, even though they agreed with the board’s overall reasoning.

The decision not to approve set-disciplinary actions at the buildings came after a 4-3 decision to implement a mask mandate on Jan. 5. Discussion on the topic went as follows.

“I think whatever we do, it would be nice if we were consistent,” said Kiso, in response to the submitted suggestions from building principals. “It’s not giving (students) a punishment, just trying to protect them and keep everybody in school. I think that is better than absolutely having to quarantine everybody every time there is some possible contact.”

Superintendent Dr. Lenice Basham informed the board that it is more difficult to separate and social distance at the middle school, especially with the nature of the age.

Board President Joey Butler II noticed there is a section about students who cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition.

“Are there going to be other kids and teachers who (discriminate) against a student because they are not wearing a mask?” Butler asked. “That could be borderline bullying.”

Bland Middle School Principal Denise Baldwin said they have a separate roster for students who have been exempted. The kids won’t know that the student is medically exempt, though they may notice the other student is not wearing a mask.

“I move we approve what the principals have submitted per the guidelines to carry out with the mandate,” Kiso said.

Director Tom Kinsey said he would not approve the way the consequence guidelines are worded.

Butler read from the middle schools suggested disciplinary actions that the first offense is parent contact, the second offense is after school detention. At the high school, most classrooms are large enough that a mask would not be required. Building Principal Garret Hasalg estimates two or three classes a day may have to wear a mask while they are seated because of space limitations.

“It’s not a disciplinary action where you get a mark on your record,” Kiso said. “It’s ‘how can we best keep everybody in-seat,” Kiso said.

Director Brent Stratman seconded Kiso’s motion.

Kinsey asked how bullying will be handled for students who don’t follow the guidelines just exactly. Director Garret Bialczyk said teachers would be understanding and want students to stay in school.

Baldwin said middle school students react to situations the way teachers react.

“Our students here, the less you make a big deal about it,” Baldwin said. “If they are blatant and disrespectful, it turns into something else. We have been talking about how to make sure we are not calling kids out and making them uncomfortable.”

She said she has gone from classroom to classroom before the break to tell the students about the coming mandate.

“I tell them it is ‘just for now,’” Baldwin said.

Butler asked if they would tell the students why they have to wear the masks? To keep them in-seat, to protect them? He said there are also downsides to the masks.

“Are we going to tell them everything or just the good parts?” Butler asked.

Kiso said the staff has worked with students since last year. She said the students are not going to be scarred for life for wearing a mask and she can safely say that as a professional in that field.

“It is how we, staff and administration, continually educate, encourage and promote,” Kiso said.

Baldwin said they had to quarantine a student for the third time and she was in tears when they told her she had to go home. The idea that children have to be quarantined — sometimes that is worse.

Stratman asked if that child being quarantined and having to go home hurt more psychologically than students having to go home for the last several weeks of school last semester.

“You have a student now that has been home for four or five months now by themselves, and that didn’t affect them?” Stratman asked while agreeing with Baldwin that the mask mandate is better than sending kids home to quarantine. “Is that not negatively impacting them? I guarantee you that’s worse than wearing a (expletive deleted) mask.”

Butler said that Stratman has no proof, respectively, that it is or isn’t worse. No documentation. Stratman said they didn’t have to deal with COVID before last year and no one likes it.

“Make the students wear a mask, get over it, deal with it until it’s done and we will go on from there,” Stratman said.

Butler asked what they would do if it is never done? Will they make students wear a mask forever? Stratman said it’s not going to “never end.” Kiso said they already have vaccines.

“Eventually we are all going to get it, we are going to be immune to it, so it is not going to be a big deal,” Stratman said.

Parent Sara McDaniel, who had addressed the board earlier and asked them to reconsider the mask mandate, asked Stratman why they would make the students wear a mask then? Why not just continue as they have been?

“We can’t because we have to freakin’ quarantine them!” Stratman said. “I am so sick of this (expletive deleted) argument! If we are not going to quarantine them, we will do away with it, but we are going to because if not, we are going to have a big (expletive deleted) lawsuit and then we are going to be in trouble for that. It could happen.”

Kinsey said there is another side to the mask argument and it is not just the side that Stratman wants to see.

“You don’t know what is going to happen down the road for making a person wear a mask,” Kinsey said. “We are talking about health professions that say it’s ok because they have only dealt with this for not even a year yet.”

Bialczyk brought the topic back around to the motion and said his opinion on the consequences.

“My opinion on this motion is that we don’t approve handbooks, we don’t approve that specific of discipline,” Bialzcyk said. “That is going to be my comment on this, is that we don’t get into the weeds on this. We set a policy — the mask mandate — we can give them guidance and say we like this or they should consider some things, but we should not be looking at a handbook — which is essentially what this is.”

Director Kenda Sanders said she agreed with Bialzcyk.

“I only have one comment on this and that is that I don’t agree with an ISS or OSS on this,” Sanders said.

Hicks said she sent an email after she saw the suggested disciplines also saying she did not agree with the OSS.

No action was taken to set consequences for disobeying the mask mandate. Administrators from each building should be contacted with questions.