Johnson County doctor running for school board was against mask mandate. Not anymore

After months of campaigning against COVID-19 safety protocols in schools, a Johnson County pediatrician who is running for Blue Valley school board says she has had a change of heart, at least as far as masks are concerned.

Dr. Christine White had posted on Facebook in May that, “masks should be optional for children come fall of 2021. Both inside and out.”

But on Friday — the day after The Star published a report about her securing a mask exemption for one of her school-age children, as well as an editorial on her school board candidacy — White posted on Facebook:

“I and the physicians of Johnson County Pediatrics agree, without exception, with the guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC concerning wearing masks and the need for people 12 and older to get vaccinated for Covid-19. … My views on masks have changed. I want kids to be able to attend school IN PERSON. If wearing a mask prevents spread of infection or a child from having to quarantine and miss 8 to 10 days of learning, then I support children wearing masks in school.”

White did not immediately return The Star’s requests for comment on Monday.

White gained notoriety locally over the last year when she routinely advocated at county and school board meetings for children to return to in-person classes as COVID-19 cases reached new highs.

She organized a rally last fall after a COVID outbreak at an elementary school led to 100 people in quarantine, arguing that pulling that many people out of school was a “massive overreaction.”

And in May, she wrote on Facebook that she had secured a mask exemption for her teenager. She thanked her child’s doctor for having the “decency to help children attend school this year (and next year if needed) mask free. Masks should be optional for children come fall of 2021. Both inside and out.”

In the Nov. 2 election, White faces newcomer Gina Knapp for a seat on the Blue Valley school board, to replace member Stacy Obringer-Varhall.

On her campaign Facebook page, right below her latest post describing her change of opinion on masks, is a July 23 post, where White shared a flyer that reads, “Take back your schools. Your kids. Your money. Your choice.”

White is listed on the flyer as one of three Blue Valley school board candidates who will allegedly support “mask choice. No COVID trackers. Board accountability and transparency.”

White’s apparent change of heart on masks came with mixed reactions. It was a blow to many parents who rallied behind the pediatrician over the past year.

And to many others, who have criticized White for downplaying the virus, her post did not go far enough. Several parents accused her of pandering to both sides, and were quick to point out White’s wording, “If wearing a mask prevents spread of infection …”

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend universal masking indoors for grades K-12, agreeing that masks are proven to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Last week, Johnson County Pediatrics, where White works, posted on Facebook that the doctors in the office, “without exception,” agree with masking guidelines from the pediatrics academy and CDC, and the need for those 12 and older to get vaccinated for COVID-19.

“Johnson County Pediatrics will not offer mask exemptions unless physical, developmental or behavioral conditions make wearing a mask unsafe,” the group posted.

The doctors noted that medical exemptions are “very rare” and that in most cases, if a child can’t wear a mask safely for medical reasons, “that child should not attend school in person.”

Local and national health officials have warned that in high transmission areas, including Missouri and Kansas, unmasked classrooms of unvaccinated children could lead to COVID-19 outbreaks, mass quarantines and even school closures.

Officials in Blue Valley, like almost every other school district in the Kansas City area, decided to mandate masks for all grade levels as school begins, worried about the risk to students who are not vaccinated, especially those under 12 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine.

But hundreds of parents continue to protest those mandates. And several have felt motivated to run for school boards across Johnson County.

White has received support from many members of the “open our schools” and “let them play” parent groups over the past year, who have been happy to have a pediatrician backing some of their opinions. It is too early to tell how White’s public change on masks will affect her campaign.

During an informational hearing in February, White spoke to Kansas legislators in the House K-12 Budget Committee, arguing that it was safe for students to be in the classroom and that school boards were under pressure from educators to keep classes remote, according to the Kansas Reflector.

“Another big fear that we’re working against is, is the fear of teachers unions and the (Kansas National Education Association),” White reportedly said. “I think that they have a lot of control over school boards and superintendents, and then by extension over our children’s right to an education.”

In November, White spoke at a Johnson County Board of Commissioners meeting against penalties for businesses that do not comply with COVID-19 guidelines.

A video of White speaking at a Blue Valley school board meeting last summer, which was streamed on Facebook, received 130,000 views. In it, she questioned COVID-19 data and argued it was “ethical and moral” for children to attend school in person, despite health officials at the time warning that community transmission was so high it would lead to outbreaks in classrooms and school closures.

The district began last school year with elementary students in classrooms part time and older students learning remotely. In October, Blue Valley was the first of Johnson County’s three largest districts to allow older students in classrooms part time. By the end of November, older students were sent back online once again as the region reported record COVID-19 cases.

Now health officials say that the trend in cases this summer is similar to the record peaks seen last fall and winter, although in some ways more concerning due to the highly contagious delta variant. More children are becoming ill with the virus now, and hospitalizations are increasing.

And this school year, Blue Valley is bringing all students back to classrooms full time. The state Legislature placed restrictions on public schools’ use of remote instruction. Under new law, school districts may only allow individual students to temporarily learn remotely in excess of 40 hours.

Health officials emphasize that requiring masks will help prevent transmission of the virus in schools. And the Johnson County health department has said that in many cases, if students or teachers were wearing masks when exposed to COVID-19, and remain asymptomatic, they will not need to quarantine — which could reduce disruptions in learning and help keep students in classrooms this school year.