Mid-Prairie emails show overwhelming support for masks

The matter of whether to continue mandatory face coverings has become a divisive issue within the Mid-Prairie school district.

At the Sept. 28 Mid-Prairie school board meeting, board members remarked about the volume of emails they received regarding the board's pending decision on the issue.

'We are divided, and it's sad to see that we can't all come together as one,” board President Marianne Schlabach said.

Through an open records request, The Union obtained copies of all of the emails on the subject sent to board members over the two-week period leading up to the Sept. 28 meeting.

In all, each board member received about 100 emails, with the vast majority – a nearly 8-to-1 margin – speaking in favor on continuing with mandatory face coverings.

'Please vote to keep face masks in our schools,” one parent wrote. 'I value the chance for our boys in 4th and 6th grade to have in-person education with our Mid-Prairie teachers. I don't want anything to jeopardize the in-person option.”

Another parent wrote, 'Our daughter (redacted) is a senior this year and we are very grateful that she is able to attend in person learning with mandatory masks. We want (redacted) to be able to experience her senior year and feel that keeping the mask mandate in place gives her the best chance of doing that.”

Not all parents, though, supported the mask mandate.

'UNMASK our kids! Making them several hours a day is much more harmful to them than the fear of COVID!” a parent wrote.

That same parent went on to say, 'I find this to be a huge safety risk and absolutely unhealthy risk for kids to be running around, rebreathing CO2. Honestly would MUCH rather they get COVID multiple times (I am sure they have already had/have it) than wear a mask.”

Another parent wrote, 'I am very worried about the long term usage of wearing a mask. I feel there is going to be a HUGE increase in respiratory illnesses from wearing them.”

Staff members also sent messages to board members.

An email signed by 33 Mid-Prairie staff members stated, 'We are asking you to please vote to keep face coverings mandatory. Because we cannot social distance in the school, it will continue to provide another layer of protection – along with the extra cleaning teachers and custodians have been doing throughout the day.”

A teacher opposed to mandatory masks said, 'For four weeks I've worn a mask and have done things differently in my room even though I do NOT agree this is best.”

Students also chimed in on both sides of the issue.

'I know that most of the students hate and want the masks to be nothing but a bad memory,” one student said. 'But if we are to have any chance at all of continuing extracurricular activities or school in general, we need to masks to be mandatory.”

A student opposed to mandatory face coverings wrote, 'We feel masks should be voluntary to wear. If people want to wear masks good for them, but we do NOT want to wear masks.”

At the Sept. 28 meeting, some board members took exception to the tone of some of the messages they received.

'The part that concerns me very much so are the emails that say ‘If you do this and this and this, then we're going to do this,'” Schlabach said. 'They're quite threatening, so that part has been really hard to fathom.”

Board Vice President Jeremy Pickard said, 'I also really struggle with a number of faculty members who have contacted us. Many have been very professional, and some have been just quite threatening – if you don't do this, then I'm going to quit or I'm going to do this. I think that's slightly unprofessional.”

One teacher wrote, 'If the board chooses to go the opposite direction and lifts or loosens the face covering requirement, I will leave this job due to concerns over my personal health and safety.”

In his reply to that message, Pickard wrote, 'If you truly believe you are not safe I would encourage you to find employment with another organization. No one should go to work for an employer who doesn't provide a safe working environment.”

An uncontracted long-term substitute teacher said that she, too, would not return if masks become optional.

One parent took exception to staff members pushing for mandatory face coverings.

That parent wrote, 'Please remember teachers are essential workers, employed by the tax-payers. If this isn't the right job for them, let them find something else to do.”

Ultimately, the school board made no decision at the Sept. 28 meeting because new guidance was coming from the state the following day.

The board is expected to vote on the issue at Monday's meeting.