Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes Editor-In-Chief Last Monday, the Mount Pleasant Community School Board discussed and reviewed the district’s “Return to Learn” plan at length. During their discussion, the board came to the consensus that the district will require grades 1-12 and staff to wear a mask during the school day when social distancing cannot be achieved.
To get perspective on how parents and teachers felt the district released two surveys of similar format asking them about PPE. The district sent a survey to all teachers asking their opinion on PPE for themselves and their students. The district fielded about 231 teacher responses out of 300+ staff. When asked if they thought that staff should be required to wear PPE the majority felt it was necessary, with 114 or 49.4%. 45 respondents or 19% said that it shouldn’t be required. The other respondents were neutral about the issue. When asked if students should be required to wear PPE 102 staff members or 44.2% of those who responded felt that students should be required to wear PPE. Meanwhile, 55 or 23.8% felt that they shouldn’t be required. This sent a clear message to the board - teachers and staff think that PPE should be required for everyone. The results of the parent's survey weren’t as clear cut as it was for staff. The district’s parent survey garnered over 800 responses. When asked if they thought PPE should be required for staff, most thought it was a good idea. With 44.7% saying it should be required and only 26% disagreeing. For students, they flipped with only 33% saying it should be required for students. From this information and hundreds of recommendations from local physicians and the American Pediatrics Association, in their plan on reopening schools, Superintendent John Henriksen recommended that they require PPE in the schools. Board Member Martha Wiley thought that making the PPE required would turn the masks into a game amongst students, making the masks counterintuitive. Martha also stated that if the district is going to require it there needs to be clear cut consequences and they need to avoid expulsion if possible. Dr. Sarah Ledger, a local physician, and parent strongly urged the district to require masks instead of just expecting the students to wear them on their own free will. She stated that it would make it ineffective if only a few people have a mask on. She suggested an all or none approach. She added that it would also make it easier behavior-wise if all students had to wear one, especially for younger children. Many board members also stated that if they didn’t make it required it would fall well below their expectations, using the voluntary remote learning last spring as an example. Board member Willy Amos said that worse things could happen if masks were not required, and that if we don’t make it mandatory it could make us go into remote or hybrid options faster. “We have to understand that there’s a new normal and masks will be around for a while. We’re going to have to adapt,” he said. After much discussion between the board and a few comments and suggestions from the crowd, the board decided that the district should require PPE for students and staff. A reminder that this was only a work session and no plan has been officially voted on yet. The board plans to meet again one more time to discuss the Return to Learn plans before they vote at their regular meeting on the August 10th.
1 Comment
Abby Anderson
7/23/2020 03:03:59 pm
If we are required to wear PPE, is that just the face mask?
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Maroon Echoes StaffAdvisor- Ronnie Waggoner Archives
November 2020
Keep up with the latests by clicking the link below and following these accounts!
Buy A Target Yearbook Today!
Start Capturing Your Memories Here!
Sign Up for Our Newsletter Today!Want weekly updates from the Maroon Echoes Right in your inbox? Click the button below!
|