The Patoka school board voted on Thursday to implement a new back-to-school plan that complies with the school mask mandate that was issued by Governor Pritzker in August. Facing pressure from the state and the risk of the school losing state recognition should it ignore the mandate, the board voted 6-1 in favor of complying with the mandate, with the one dissenting vote coming from board member Cassie Huffman. The potential consequences of losing recognition, including diplomas of graduating students not being recognized by state institutions as well as inability for the school to participate in IHSA and SIJHSAA athletics, were what ultimately pushed reluctant board members to agree to follow the mandate.
The new rules will take effect when school resumes next week on Tuesday, September 7. Everyone in the school will be expected to wear masks indoors and maintain three-foot social distancing. The plan approved on Thursday does not include any requirements for vaccinations, but the board is expected to vote on a policy related to the more recent state vaccine mandate for teachers in the near future.
The Thursday special meeting was scheduled and rescheduled following the previous meeting on August 19, when the board had originally planned to vote on mask policy. The board chose to postpone the vote to take time to clarify information with the state board of education. Despite the delay in reaching a decision, the board has approved a mandate-compliant policy within the timeframe required by the state. As a result, the Patoka school district is expected to be taken off of probation and not face the consequences that would have come with going against the mask mandate.
In an interview after the meeting, superintendent David Rademacher spoke about the overall mood of the board in reaching this decision, noting that most of the board members do not approve of the governor’s mandate despite agreeing to have the school follow it.
“We would love to get to a place where we didn’t have masks,” Rademacher said. “It goes back to local control—I think the board as a whole thinks local control is important… we’ll keep fighting for that.”
The next Patoka school board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 16, at 7:00 PM.
