By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Carter County Superintendent of schools Dr. Paul Green started the school board meeting by pointing out that it was his decision not to have a masking issue added to the board of education agenda on Monday night.
While he said he was hopeful that situations were improving, and that county wide numbers would begin to drop again, the district is not there yet.
“We are still in this,” Green said, of the restrictions caused over the last two years by the COVID-19 crisis.
He noted that the district was still down a board member, which would make it impossible to break a tie if the board was split on the issue of lifting mask mandates for students. He said it was also his hope that numbers would drop to where the board didn’t need to vote on easing mask rules, because they could drop the need for masks completely.
But that didn’t stop parents, and other community members, from using the public comment period to ask the board to consider dropping all masking requirements – or to at least follow the lead of some neighboring districts and make masking optional, at the discretion of the parents and students themselves. While some speakers veered from the topic of schools – with one threatening the district with legal proceedings while admonishing them for conducting “unlicensed medical experiments” on children and another focusing on what they saw as illegal attempts from the federal government to enforce mask and vaccination mandates in private industry – most of those who identified as parents raised what they saw as legitimate concerns for the welfare of their children after two years of pandemic restrictions.
Amy Burton was one of the parents who asked the district to follow the lead of neighboring districts and make masking optional.
“We all wanted our children back in school, and compromised by making them wear masks,” Burton said. “We have all been compliant and have been more than willing to do what is needed to make sure our children are in school. After two years of this pandemic, we are now asking you to reconsider and unmask our children.”
She noted the psychological impact on students who follow the rules, but lose privileges across the board when a few students refuse to follow the masking rules. She said she encouraged her children to listen to teachers, but the inconsistent way the mask rule was being enforced wasn’t a good example to set for students, who might get the idea that they should also ignore rules since they aren’t being rewarded for following them anyway. She also said some children felt bullied and embarrassed when their masks would inadvertently slide down over their nose and they would be called down by a staff member.
“Normally good, respectful, compliant children are being made out to be bad kids daily over the way they wear their masks,” she said.
Burton wasn’t the only parent who was okay with masking early in the pandemic, but feels it is now time to move back toward normalcy.
Tiffany Kitchen also asked for the district for a change of rules, noting the meltdowns some parents experience when an anxious child realizes they’ve forgotten their mask, as well as the anxiety children feel about being punished for not wearing a mask properly. She said she also worried about the future of the school district if parents who did not want their children to experience this anxiety chose to pull them out of the district and enroll them in a neighboring district where masking was optional.
Lynn Genung noted the particular impact on children who have communication difficulties, especially those who have issues speaking or those with hearing impairments who might rely on reading lips.
While the speakers expressed varying degrees of skepticism about the effectiveness of masking, especially for younger children who often struggle to use them properly, the parents who spoke were steadfast in their request that masking be made optional – even if they might continue to have their children mask.
Hannah McGlone, the final parent to speak, said she respected the authority of teachers and administrators to enforce rules, and she wanted to encourage that same respect in her children. Nonetheless, she said she was adding her voice to the chorus of those asking for optional masking. She said she understood the difficulty of the decisions the board has had to make over the last two years, and the difficulty of the decisions they continued to make. But, she said, it was time now for masking to be made optional.
In other action, Dr. Green recognized a number of students and faculty for academic and professional achievements.
Students in the health sciences program at Carter Country Career & Technical Center who participated in the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) northeast regional competition against students from nine other districts across the region brought home awards in several categories. Placing in the event were Faith Blevins, first place in CPR & First Aid skills, and first place in the nutrition written exam; Kaylee Robinson, first place in CPR & First Aid skills; Ryan Yates, second place in CPR & First Aid skills, and second place in medical math written exam; Keileigh Kinder, second place in CPR & First Aid skills, and third place in culture diversity & disparities written exam; Skylar Block, first place in job seeking skills; Peyton VanHorn, first place research poster, and first place behavioral health written exam; Brianna Romans, Ashley Campbell, and Raileigh Bond, second place public service announcement; Angelique Sparks, second place public service announcement, and first place human growth & development written exam; and Katherine Roar, third place nursing assistant skills.
In SkillsUSA District Competition, for Northeast Region District 14, Christian Manning placed first in beginner welding; Jarrod Oney placed third in beginner welding; and Harley Bailey took second place in advanced welding. In carpentry competition, the CCCTC team dominated, with Ethan Barker taking first in carpentry; Hayden Oney, second in carpentry; Wilson Tomaselli, third in carpentry; Neal Lusher, first in advanced carpentry; Solomon Patton, second in advanced carpentry; and Charles Terry, third in advanced carpentry.
Three teachers were recognized for earning National Board Certification this year; Rachel Fitzpatrick at Star Elementary, Jacob Gilliam at Tygart Creek Elementary, and Melinda Thompson at West Carter High School. The National Board Certification is, “the most respected professional certification available in K-12 education,” Green said.
Another three teachers were recognized by the Campbellsville University Excellence in Teaching Award Program. Those individuals were Sharon Ginter from Prichard Elementary, Leslie Kee at East Carter Middle, and Dovie Stevens from West Carter High School.
The district also had three teachers nominated for the Kentucky Teacher of the Year program. Carter County’s nominees for this year included Jeanne Clary at Tygart Creek Elementary, Emaley Pereya at West Carter Middle, and Jill Jackson at East Carter High School.
Following the superintendent report, public remarks, and an instructional update from director of districtwide programs Jennifer Carroll, the board moved to approve action items by consent, moved to accept financial documents, and then entered into executive session.
Upon return from executive session the board moved to appoint Chris Perry to serve as the new District 5 board member, voting unanimously to do so, and moved to accept school calendars for the 2022-2023 and the 2023-2024 school years.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
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