Lebanon School Board gets an earful from parents over masks

Gus Pearcy, The Lebanon Reporter, Ind.
·2 min read

Sep. 22—Eight parents spoke and a few more cheered at public comments made at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Lebanon Community School Board. The subject was about the mask mandate placed on Sept. 15.

"Everyone has an individual right to make their own private decisions concerning their health," Tim Beyer, a Lebanon resident, said. "Nobody has any authority to issue a mask mandate order, the board, the health department, the CDC or anyone else. Your mask order is unconstitutional."

Although Beyer did not identify as a parent, other members of the community spoke up saying that they should be the deciding authority regarding masks and other health decisions for their children. He held up a complaint he said was being "looked over."

School board president Liz Keith told the audience prior to public comments, no action was on the agenda regarding the mask mandate and that all comments were limited to three minutes. Seven other mask mandate detractors spoke of trusting the parents to make the right decision for their children and alternative mitigation strategies to halt the spread of COVID-19.

Patrick Elmore, an administrator of the Facebook group Lebanon Community Schools Parents, said he didn't expect the board to take action, but wanted the administration to be aware of these parents' position.

"We started campaigning now so our message is loud and clear," Elmore said, arguing that the corporation does not have to abide by the guidelines of the Indiana Department of Health. He points to two Hendricks County school districts (Danville and Mill Creek) who have opted not to even quarantine students considered close contacts.

"Indiana Senate Bill 5, passed in May, gives local governing bodies a lot of leeway in regards to adopting guidelines set by a state level agency in relation to a public health crisis," he said. He added that COVID-19 cases amount to a "cold." "Why do case numbers matter? Did these kids get seriously ill? Was there a significant detrimental effect to them? If there was, I think we'd be hearing about that."

Elmore is convinced the numbers of COVID-19 cases do not warrant a mask mandate.

At the end of the meeting, Superintendent Jon Milleman told the board he sent inquiries to the IDOH and the Indiana School Board Association seeking clarification for the requirements on quarantining and actions necessary when there is a communicable disease.

"When it's identified as a communicable disease, several Indiana codes come into effect," he said. "One of those being quarantine requirements. I know we've seen a lot in the press about varying applications of quarantines. However, that is not something that is an option."

The school board is scheduled to address the mandate at its Oct. 19 meeting. The mandate is scheduled to expire on Oct. 22, pending any further action by the board.