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VIDEO - Emergency meeting fuels controversy about facemasks
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
NOTE: On Friday, August 20, 2021 - Dr. Michael Shaw requested a CLARIFICATION/CORRECTION be made in this story. The Times is happy to do that.
The Emergency Meeting of the Clay Community School Board of Trustees passed changes to the 2021-22 ReEntry Plan in a split decision before a large crowd Tuesday evening.
Votes to approve revisions regarding facemasks included board members Andrea Baysinger, Amy Burke Adams, Charley Jackson, and Lynn Romas.
Dr. Michael Shaw, Ryan Keller, and Tom Reberger opposed the changes.
Superintendent Jeff Fritz explained the revisions surrounding the contentious issue of facemasks included two parts:
Face coverings/masks will be required in the schools if Clay County is in RED Advisory Category on the Indiana State Department of Health's COVID-19 Data Dashboard (cornoavirus.in.gov). The face coverings are not required during lunch, outdoor activities such as recess, and during rigorous athletic and extracurricular activities.
Face coverings will be required at individual schools with a higher than 5% Positivity Rate. (The prior policy, when implemented, was across all schools.)
Fritz said there are two main goals for Clay Community School during this pandemic. First, to educate students. Second, to do that with in-person classroom instruction.
"We're gonna keep our kids in the buildings," Fritz told the crowd, but if 20% of the students are out for illnesses, it could shut the schools down. "We got a warning that can happen pretty easily."
State agencies and state leaders have been relatively quiet regarding health recommendations, suggestions, or even help, which leaves the hard decisions at the local level.
According to data provided by the ISDH Tuesday, Clay County is currently in the RED Advisory Category with 23.7% 7-Day All Tests Positivity Rates during August 4-10 (23.7% Unique - first time tested - 7-Day Positivity Rates at 32.8%). New data will be released Wednesday at noon, and it's expected to trend higher.
The Clay County Health Department helped create the revisions for the 2021-22 ReEntry Plan.
The standing-room-only crowd was unhappy with the situation, and shouts demanding answers filled the air. The overall consensus was that they don't want children forced to wear facemasks, and using fake science to make decisions violates family choice and personal freedoms.
At one point, someone yelled the trustees were "cowards," and they were "killing our children by forcing them to wear facemasks."
IVY JACOBS PHOTO - School board member Dr. Michael Shaw stood up during the emergency meeting Tuesday evening at Central Administrative Office to speak with the crowd about his position.
Board member Dr. Michael Shaw stood up to address the crowd and express his position: "I am for freedom of choice. I cannot support or agree to this. My vote will be no."
To which the crowd cheered.
During the vote, board members Ryan Keller and Tom Reberger joined with Shaw to oppose the changes.
The meeting was adjourned with the trustees returning to Executive Session in another part of the Central Administrative Office.
The angered crowd lingered, ultimately gathering outside for an impromptu meeting in the parking lot.
Before the meeting ended, Fritz told the crowd he prays for the safety of the students, staff members, and the community. Still, he has also recently added prayers for stability, peace, and calm as COVID-19 issues are causing divisiveness in the community and often among family members.
"We have some trying times we're dealing with right now," he told the crowd, hopeful that the current increase in the COVID-19 spread is just a cycle of the disease that will end soon. "We have some trying times ahead of us. And I pray that these things get better move forward."
IVY JACOBS PHOTO - An angry crowd lingered outside the Clay Community School Board of Trustee emergency meeting Tuesday evening. The gathering outside for an impromptu meeting regarding the 2021-22 ReEntry Plan revisions for facemasks.
A copy of the revised 2021-22 ReEntry Plan is attached.