BEA will now discipline students violating COVID-19 mandate after hundreds go unmasked
After telling a crowded auditorium of parents last week that their children wouldn’t be punished for not wearing a face mask, a local school district is reversing its decision.
In a letter to parents Tuesday, Bald Eagle Area School District Superintendent Scott Graham wrote that though the board and administration previously said they would “continue the mask mandate” but didn’t want to punish students who did not wear a mask, they thought most students would comply with the state’s order.
“Unfortunately, yesterday, the MS/HS alone had 274 students not wearing a mask. Many of the elementary schools are experiencing high numbers as well,” Graham wrote. “At the same time, we are having to continue to quarantine students, some for the third time, because they were close contacts and one or both the COVID positive student and the students being quarantined were not wearing a mask.”
Beginning Wednesday, students who do not have a note provided by a medical professional exempting them from the state’s mask mandate must wear a mask or face shield, Graham wrote. He noted that mesh masks do not meet the guidelines.
Those who refuse to wear a mask will “face progressive disciplinary action according to district policy.”
“By doing this, we keep schools open, significantly reduce the number of students quarantined, and keep sports and extracurricular activities going,” he wrote.
If students are masked or wearing a face shield, and they are three feet or more away from someone in school, they will not need to be quarantined in the event of a close contact. Students will be given “mask breaks” every period at the middle and high school, and every 40 minutes at the elementary school.
Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Alison Beam signed an order in August requiring masks to be worn inside K-12 school buildings, early learning programs and child care providers. The order took effect Sept. 7.
The Bald Eagle Area School District board of directors held a special meeting on Sept. 22 where it heard from nearly 30 people, including State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-McElhattan, who asked the board to defy the state order.
Several also spoke about the number of close contacts and amount of quarantine time the students have had to endure. Last week, the high school had more than 170 students in quarantine and the district considered temporarily moving to remote learning for some buildings (but ultimately decided against that).
“I am working with our solicitor to see if we can legally reduce the amount of student’s quarantined from school due to being a close contact,” Graham wrote in a different letter to parents on Tuesday.
During last week’s board meeting, Graham said “anecdotal evidence” shows the district has had substantially more cases this year than compared to last year at this time. Additionally, transmission within the schools has increased compared to last year. He said all of last school year, they had less than five cases that could be traced back to being caught at the school; this year they’ve seen one student case cause up to seven other cases within the school.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
