School “Return to Learn” Plans Spark Parental Responses
A handful of concerned parents were on hand for Cassville R-IV's special board meeting Thursday for the announcement of "Return to Learn" plans for the fall 2021 school semester.
August 18, 2021
Ezra DeVore & Sheila Harris
As students return to school, to mask or not-to-mask is a decision causing angst for board members, superintendents, parents and many students themselves in schools across southwest Missouri.
The Cassville School Board met August 12 at 7:30 a.m. for a special public meeting regarding its Return to Learn plan, a strategy for returning to in-person classes in the era of Covid-19.
“None of us thought we would be (in this situation) two months ago,” Cassville Superintendent Merlyn Johnson said. “I think we all tried to move forward and move back to normalcy. However, this new (COVID) variant is causing some challenges. The main thing for us is to ensure safety for all of our students, and our number one goal is for kids to be in seat, in person, with their teachers. We know that is a proven method for students to learn at the best level possible.”
A majority of the plan for the upcoming school year will be similar to last year’s.
“Mask-wearing will be optional when classes begin,” Johnson said. “It will be the choice of the student or the parent of that student.”
Johnson said, in spite of that option, he does advise that masks be worn.
“A mask-optional policy comes with the caveat that six feet of social distance be maintained between individuals,” he went on to explain. In schools that employ a mask mandate, only three feet of social distance between individuals is required.
According to Johnson, masks will not be optional on school buses.
“Because of a federal mandate,” he said, “anyone who rides a school bus is required to wear a mask. This point is non-negotiable and no exceptions will be allowed.”
Masks will also be required for any student or staff member who visits the health office with symptoms of COVID-19, as determined by the school nurse, Johnson said.
The CDC and Barry County Health Department recommend that everyone age 12 and over get a COVID vaccine and recommend that all teachers, staff, students and visitors wear a mask indoors, regardless of their vaccination status.
Although masks will not be required in school initially, Johnson said that policy can change if guidance from the health department or CDC becomes more rigid.
School board member Jon Horner expressed concern about the current status of new positive COVID cases in Barry County as the new school year begins. Horner, who has been graphing the monthly, positive case-count since last September, says the new school year is beginning with a higher number of new cases than it started with last year.
“Last year, Barry County had 154 new COVID cases in September; that number shot up to 787 new cases in November. That’s the point at which we implemented a mask mandate.
“This year,” Horner continued, “we already have 235 new positive cases in the county going into August. I don’t feel like we’re starting the school year in a good place.”
Horner, whose best friend Michael LeCompte died from COVID on November 4, 2020, speaks from a statistical standpoint, as well as from a place of personal concern for the community.
In reference to the differences of opinion which have developed around a masking policy, Dr. Merlyn Johnson says that, as educators, he and his staff are going to focus on their priority: students and learning.
According to school “Return to Learn” plans, there are three “Engagement Levels” of response strategies to the threat of COVID-19. The Cassville School District will begin the 2021-2022 year at Engagement Level Two.
“Should we have to go to Engagement Level Three, remote learning will begin.” Johnson said.
For meals, breakfast will be a grab-and-go system; lunch will be in the cafeteria. In classrooms, the six feet of social distance will be vital because “regardless of masking,” Johnson said, “students and teachers can still be quarantined because we are not a mask-mandatory school.
“The final decision on quarantine status is on the health department, not the school district,” Johnson continued. “As a mask-optional school, close contact, regardless of masking status, if [students or staff] are in close contact, they will have to quarantine. If it gets to a point where we are quarantining large groups of students and staff, if we don’t have teachers to teach, we will have to look into mandatory masking.”
According to current CDC guidelines, fully vaccinated individuals are exempt from quarantining.
After Johnson announced the board’s “Return to Learn” policy, the meeting was opened for public comment.
A handful of parents were on hand to voice their concerns.
“I have two boys,” said Liz Blankenship, of Cassville, who was the first to address the Board. “Last year, when you (school board members) mandated the masks, I had to pull my children because my oldest could not wear a mask. I had arguments back and forth with Richard Asbill, and it was just pointless with him. I’m still discussing with my husband if we want to put (our boys) back in school, because I have this fear that you guys are going to mandate (mask-wearing) again, and that I’m going to have to pull (my kids out again). It did affect my children.
“Masks have been proven that they do not work,” Blankenship continued. “The particles go through, easy. I really want you guys to consider that it should be parent-choice, regardless of what those (COVID) numbers are, and what the health department says. Ultimately, it comes down to you.”
After Blankenship spoke, Rusty Newman stepped to the podium and thanked the Board for making (masking) parent-choice.
“I choose to believe masks do not work,” he said, “and I wasn’t sure how this meeting would go.”
A third member of the audience, Destiny Sanders, also of Cassville, then requested permission to speak to the Board.
“I am the mother of a high-risk child,” Sanders explained. “I am not here to take anyone’s rights away. I understand that masking is a parent’s choice, and that everybody feels differently, but I just want to let you guys know a little bit about my experience.”
Sanders, whose 11-year-old son has reactive airways, a bronchial condition that causes wheezing and asthmatic reactions to stimulants, said her son has changed in the last year.
“He’s now more withdrawn, his anxiety is worse, he doesn’t want to go out,” she said, “and he is not the same person he was when he was in class with his friends.
“I’m not asking for a mask-mandate for everybody, but can we think about those (high-risk) kids? Virtual learning is not an option. He needs other kids his age, he needs to be able to go out at recess. He needs those things. I understand you guys are in a very difficult position, and everybody has their own beliefs. I’m not asking for a mask-mandate for everybody, I’m just asking if we can try to find something in-between for the kids who are high-risk,” Sanders concluded.
Sanders is not the only parent concerned. After news of Cassville R-IV’s planned mask-optional policy reached Elaine Phaneuf, she and are husband are having second thoughts about sending their 11-year-old son back to public school after homeschooling him last year.
“We are considering until waiting until after he’s eligible for a vaccine,” Phaneuf said.
Traci Mitchell, Director of Learning for Cassville R-IV, would like to assure Sanders and others that school personnel will work with all parents and students who have special health concerns and try to create a safe learning environment for them within the classroom.
“Just reach out to us,” Mitchell said. “We have several things we can do, including putting sneeze-guard shields in place and seating high-risk students or those with anxiety in areas as protected as possible.”
Mitchell explained that anxiety itself has increased among many students due to COVID concerns.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the politics of the masking and vaccination topics,” she said, “until we remember that our students are our number one priority. All of the teaching staff are here because we love kids. When we keep our focus on the kids and on providing them with the best learning experience possible, everything else sort of fades into the background.”
Superintendent Dr. Merlyn Johnson reiterated that although Cassville R-IV is starting the year with a mask-optional policy, it will be subject to change if necessary.
Official responses to Covid-19 are fluid, with updates from DESE (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) and DHSS (Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services) provided almost weekly. The plan is updated continuously to maintain efficiency and safety. The full Cassville Return to Learn updates can be found on their website on the home page, or at https://cassville.k12.mo.us/vnews/display.v/ART/5e6a895260cf6.
Going into the school year, masking will be optional in all school buildings across Barry county, although Shell Knob has yet to announce their policy. A special board meeting will be held at noon on Thursday, August 19, for that purpose.
Due to a federal CDC mandate, masks are not optional on buses. They are required. The CDC issued an Order on January 29, 2021, requiring “the wearing of masks by people on public transportation conveyances or on the premises of transportation hubs to prevent spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.”
The Cassville, Monett, Purdy, Southwest, and Wheaton school districts will implement the federal mask mandate on buses, as stated in their Return to Learn plans.
Compliance with this mandate grants vital funding to a school district’s public transport programs.
“If a passenger refuses to comply,” the CDC guideline states, “the [public transportation] operator must disembark the person at the earliest safe opportunity (or relocate the passenger to an outdoor area of the conveyance, if feasible). People who refuse to wear a mask may be subject to a civil penalty.”
According to Dr. Raney, Superintendent of the Exeter R-VI School District, Exeter will have all drivers wear masks while transporting students. They will also offer masks to students if they don’t have one.
Raney stated that “the expectation is that students will wear a mask on the bus.”
Whether this policy will be mandated was not clear, neither in Raney’s responses, nor in the school’s written Return to Learn Plan.
Barry County schools begin on the following dates:
• Southwest: August 23.
• Cassville, Wheaton, Exeter, Purdy: August 24.
• Monett, Shell Knob: August 25.
Ezra DeVore & Sheila Harris
As students return to school, to mask or not-to-mask is a decision causing angst for board members, superintendents, parents and many students themselves in schools across southwest Missouri.
The Cassville School Board met August 12 at 7:30 a.m. for a special public meeting regarding its Return to Learn plan, a strategy for returning to in-person classes in the era of Covid-19.
“None of us thought we would be (in this situation) two months ago,” Cassville Superintendent Merlyn Johnson said. “I think we all tried to move forward and move back to normalcy. However, this new (COVID) variant is causing some challenges. The main thing for us is to ensure safety for all of our students, and our number one goal is for kids to be in seat, in person, with their teachers. We know that is a proven method for students to learn at the best level possible.”
A majority of the plan for the upcoming school year will be similar to last year’s.
“Mask-wearing will be optional when classes begin,” Johnson said. “It will be the choice of the student or the parent of that student.”
Johnson said, in spite of that option, he does advise that masks be worn.
“A mask-optional policy comes with the caveat that six feet of social distance be maintained between individuals,” he went on to explain. In schools that employ a mask mandate, only three feet of social distance between individuals is required.
According to Johnson, masks will not be optional on school buses.
“Because of a federal mandate,” he said, “anyone who rides a school bus is required to wear a mask. This point is non-negotiable and no exceptions will be allowed.”
Masks will also be required for any student or staff member who visits the health office with symptoms of COVID-19, as determined by the school nurse, Johnson said.
The CDC and Barry County Health Department recommend that everyone age 12 and over get a COVID vaccine and recommend that all teachers, staff, students and visitors wear a mask indoors, regardless of their vaccination status.
Although masks will not be required in school initially, Johnson said that policy can change if guidance from the health department or CDC becomes more rigid.
School board member Jon Horner expressed concern about the current status of new positive COVID cases in Barry County as the new school year begins. Horner, who has been graphing the monthly, positive case-count since last September, says the new school year is beginning with a higher number of new cases than it started with last year.
“Last year, Barry County had 154 new COVID cases in September; that number shot up to 787 new cases in November. That’s the point at which we implemented a mask mandate.
“This year,” Horner continued, “we already have 235 new positive cases in the county going into August. I don’t feel like we’re starting the school year in a good place.”
Horner, whose best friend Michael LeCompte died from COVID on November 4, 2020, speaks from a statistical standpoint, as well as from a place of personal concern for the community.
In reference to the differences of opinion which have developed around a masking policy, Dr. Merlyn Johnson says that, as educators, he and his staff are going to focus on their priority: students and learning.
According to school “Return to Learn” plans, there are three “Engagement Levels” of response strategies to the threat of COVID-19. The Cassville School District will begin the 2021-2022 year at Engagement Level Two.
“Should we have to go to Engagement Level Three, remote learning will begin.” Johnson said.
For meals, breakfast will be a grab-and-go system; lunch will be in the cafeteria. In classrooms, the six feet of social distance will be vital because “regardless of masking,” Johnson said, “students and teachers can still be quarantined because we are not a mask-mandatory school.
“The final decision on quarantine status is on the health department, not the school district,” Johnson continued. “As a mask-optional school, close contact, regardless of masking status, if [students or staff] are in close contact, they will have to quarantine. If it gets to a point where we are quarantining large groups of students and staff, if we don’t have teachers to teach, we will have to look into mandatory masking.”
According to current CDC guidelines, fully vaccinated individuals are exempt from quarantining.
After Johnson announced the board’s “Return to Learn” policy, the meeting was opened for public comment.
A handful of parents were on hand to voice their concerns.
“I have two boys,” said Liz Blankenship, of Cassville, who was the first to address the Board. “Last year, when you (school board members) mandated the masks, I had to pull my children because my oldest could not wear a mask. I had arguments back and forth with Richard Asbill, and it was just pointless with him. I’m still discussing with my husband if we want to put (our boys) back in school, because I have this fear that you guys are going to mandate (mask-wearing) again, and that I’m going to have to pull (my kids out again). It did affect my children.
“Masks have been proven that they do not work,” Blankenship continued. “The particles go through, easy. I really want you guys to consider that it should be parent-choice, regardless of what those (COVID) numbers are, and what the health department says. Ultimately, it comes down to you.”
After Blankenship spoke, Rusty Newman stepped to the podium and thanked the Board for making (masking) parent-choice.
“I choose to believe masks do not work,” he said, “and I wasn’t sure how this meeting would go.”
A third member of the audience, Destiny Sanders, also of Cassville, then requested permission to speak to the Board.
“I am the mother of a high-risk child,” Sanders explained. “I am not here to take anyone’s rights away. I understand that masking is a parent’s choice, and that everybody feels differently, but I just want to let you guys know a little bit about my experience.”
Sanders, whose 11-year-old son has reactive airways, a bronchial condition that causes wheezing and asthmatic reactions to stimulants, said her son has changed in the last year.
“He’s now more withdrawn, his anxiety is worse, he doesn’t want to go out,” she said, “and he is not the same person he was when he was in class with his friends.
“I’m not asking for a mask-mandate for everybody, but can we think about those (high-risk) kids? Virtual learning is not an option. He needs other kids his age, he needs to be able to go out at recess. He needs those things. I understand you guys are in a very difficult position, and everybody has their own beliefs. I’m not asking for a mask-mandate for everybody, I’m just asking if we can try to find something in-between for the kids who are high-risk,” Sanders concluded.
Sanders is not the only parent concerned. After news of Cassville R-IV’s planned mask-optional policy reached Elaine Phaneuf, she and are husband are having second thoughts about sending their 11-year-old son back to public school after homeschooling him last year.
“We are considering until waiting until after he’s eligible for a vaccine,” Phaneuf said.
Traci Mitchell, Director of Learning for Cassville R-IV, would like to assure Sanders and others that school personnel will work with all parents and students who have special health concerns and try to create a safe learning environment for them within the classroom.
“Just reach out to us,” Mitchell said. “We have several things we can do, including putting sneeze-guard shields in place and seating high-risk students or those with anxiety in areas as protected as possible.”
Mitchell explained that anxiety itself has increased among many students due to COVID concerns.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the politics of the masking and vaccination topics,” she said, “until we remember that our students are our number one priority. All of the teaching staff are here because we love kids. When we keep our focus on the kids and on providing them with the best learning experience possible, everything else sort of fades into the background.”
Superintendent Dr. Merlyn Johnson reiterated that although Cassville R-IV is starting the year with a mask-optional policy, it will be subject to change if necessary.
Official responses to Covid-19 are fluid, with updates from DESE (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) and DHSS (Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services) provided almost weekly. The plan is updated continuously to maintain efficiency and safety. The full Cassville Return to Learn updates can be found on their website on the home page, or at https://cassville.k12.mo.us/vnews/display.v/ART/5e6a895260cf6.
Going into the school year, masking will be optional in all school buildings across Barry county, although Shell Knob has yet to announce their policy. A special board meeting will be held at noon on Thursday, August 19, for that purpose.
Due to a federal CDC mandate, masks are not optional on buses. They are required. The CDC issued an Order on January 29, 2021, requiring “the wearing of masks by people on public transportation conveyances or on the premises of transportation hubs to prevent spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.”
The Cassville, Monett, Purdy, Southwest, and Wheaton school districts will implement the federal mask mandate on buses, as stated in their Return to Learn plans.
Compliance with this mandate grants vital funding to a school district’s public transport programs.
“If a passenger refuses to comply,” the CDC guideline states, “the [public transportation] operator must disembark the person at the earliest safe opportunity (or relocate the passenger to an outdoor area of the conveyance, if feasible). People who refuse to wear a mask may be subject to a civil penalty.”
According to Dr. Raney, Superintendent of the Exeter R-VI School District, Exeter will have all drivers wear masks while transporting students. They will also offer masks to students if they don’t have one.
Raney stated that “the expectation is that students will wear a mask on the bus.”
Whether this policy will be mandated was not clear, neither in Raney’s responses, nor in the school’s written Return to Learn Plan.
Barry County schools begin on the following dates:
• Southwest: August 23.
• Cassville, Wheaton, Exeter, Purdy: August 24.
• Monett, Shell Knob: August 25.
