About two-dozen residents of the Patoka School Community attending Thursday night’s school board meeting were split and vocal on the decision last month to do away with all masking and COVID-19 mitigations.
While the school board took no additional action, Superintendent David Radamacher said he would work towards a compromise which many in the audience appeared to support.
“Reached out to some of the area districts to see where they are going. Then I will get together with my board and hopefully we can have a committee meeting or special board meeting to put in a plan together. We have the old plan, it’s easy enough to delete some of the things, but obviously points of contention what are we going to do with kids screening and testing. That sounds like something we need to discuss.”
Ty Bates who led the effort last month to get the COVID restrictions dropped continues to feel the board made the right decision.
“I am proud that Patoka took the leadership to step out and pass an optional mask mandate and the other lifted restrictions. It’s all smoke and mirrors.”
But others were not happy, including Adam Belcher, who said no plan especially for students who have COVID-19 is not a good idea.
“I’m asking the board to reconsider to add the mitigation factors. Why not? What is it going to hurt? If I’m wrong and we social distance and do our best, no big deal. If you are wrong people could actually get hurt. Not just our children but our community.”
Parent Dena Kuhn is concerned about the kids.
“There’s a fine line between overdoing it and doing due diligence for this disease now. We are 16-months in, we can figure this out without completely making these kids ostracize each other. It’s awful. I feel so sorry for them. They’ve had a year from hell.”
Another parent said the restrictions resulted in their children having to see a therapist.
Adam Belcher speaks on the need for COVID-19 restrictions while Ty Bates (front) who led the effort for a 4-3 vote of the Patoka School Board to lift all restrictions listens at Thursday night’s school board meeting. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
Concern was raised if Patoka students would be welcome at other schools for sports and academic activities if they weren’t following any guidelines.
Others in the audience, including Leslie Britt, expressed concerned about how the issue is dividing the community.
“It’s so sad. It was so hurtful that we have this divide in our community because of Covid. I want to get past that as quick as we can.”
The Superintendent was questioned about if the board’s action had cost the district a half-million dollars in federal COVID-19 relief money. Radamacher said no, but he has been told there is a question on the application if the district is following COVID-19 mitigation requirements. He said while the district has received two phone calls and a letter from the State Board of Education asking for further information on their decision to do away with all requirements, he did not feel the district had been threatened at this point.
While the State Board of Education has now given school districts more local control on masking and social distancing requirements, the board’s action last month is still at odds with a remaining mandate that all students and bus drivers wear masks while on busses.
