The question on whether children in the Bradford Area School District will be required to wear masks — or not — this fall still remains unanswered as administrators wait to see what the nature of the pandemic will be in the upcoming months.
Debbie Anthony, who is raising her two grandchildren, said she and other parents or guardians of children in the district are concerned with another school year of the mask mandates on campuses. Anthony said there is also an indication through social media that a number of parents plan to attend the district’s school board meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 9 to voice their concerns “and demand no masks.”
Anthony said her grandchildren both have cystic fibrosis, a disorder that damages the lungs and digestive system, and struggled wearing masks in school last year.
“At this point in time, my own personal opinion is that it just needs to be a personal choice,” Anthony stated. “You can go pretty much in any store in Bradford and not wear a mask” but some continue to wear them as a personal choice.
“I understand (Superintendent Katharine Pude’s) attitude because you have all of these kids to protect, but if none of their parents are wearing masks, whether the kids wear them or not, they still could get COVID, or the flu or a cold,” she remarked.
Anthony recalled that during the past school year, her one grandchild had a chronic cough from, presumably, wearing a mask.
“Two weeks after school let out, she hasn’t had a cough,” Anthony commented.
In addition to the masks, she is concerned with the constant use of hand sanitizer that had been required by some of the teachers in their classrooms. This dried out her grandchildren’s hands to the point of being flaky.
Anthony questioned whether school districts can choose whether students wear masks or not, but a review of the Pennsylvania Department of Education website revealed otherwise.
In a news release dated July 16, the Department of Education said it would align its
recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC’s current guidance advocates for schools to fully reopen for in-person instruction this fall. The CDC guidance also suggests there should be some mitigation measures implemented such as social distancing and the requirement that unvaccinated children and staffers wear masks.
When contacted, Pude said she had hoped to hold an emergency board meeting this week to discuss the matter, but couldn’t get a quorum of members to attend.
“So we’re just going to have to wait until the ninth (of August) for our regular board meeting” to determine the direction the district pursues regarding masks, Pude added.
“I did hear today that there may be some different guidance coming from the CDC because of the Delta variant that is already out there. So a lot could change between now and Aug. 9.”
On a final note, Pude said that through it all, she and the board are concerned for the welfare of the students.
“That’s my number one job is the health and safety of the students,” she concluded.
