Parents, school board members weigh in on school masking protocol, ongoing debate

Jul. 23—The announcement that Cobb and Marietta Schools will keep masks optional for staff and students in the upcoming school year has prompted a debate among parents and the community about whether that and other COVID-19 procedures are enough.

Mask mandates have been a hot-button issue, especially in the Cobb School District, where it spurred heated comments from supporters and opponents at school board meetings. A group of parents also filed a lawsuit against Cobb Schools over the mask mandate last year but dropped it when mask policy began loosening after the school year's end.

Both districts made masks optional for students and staff beginning June 7, citing declining COVID-19 cases and increasing vaccination rates among students, staff and the community.

But as the more contagious Delta variant of the virus spreads in the community and virus cases have again begun to rise locally and elsewhere, the MDJ asked parents and school board members for their thoughts on the next school year's procedures.

School district protocols and health expert guidance

Cobb and Marietta Schools on Tuesday announced face coverings would remain optional for students and staff in the upcoming school year in school buildings, on school buses and at extracurricular activities.

Both the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health recommend masking indoors in school for those aged 2 and older who are not vaccinated. But they are recommendations, and allow local jurisdictions to make their own decisions regarding masking.

In the districts' news releases, Cobb Schools noted that it would rely on "the same priorities which successfully navigated us throughout last year," and Marietta cited its COVID-19 data collection from last year as proof that its virus prevention measures had been successful and could be in the upcoming year as well.

"The data shows the risk of student-to-student classroom COVID transmission is low. In fact, during the MCS summer learning program (held in June/July), more than 1,100 students attended in-person learning in grades K-12 — masks were optional and, despite four total cases among students and staff, there was no transmission to other program participants," Marietta Schools Superintendent Grant Rivera wrote in an email to parents. He added that there had been no reported cases on buses last school year either.

Equally relevant, he said, was that the risk of adult-to-adult and adult-to-student transmission would be largely mitigated by the high percentage of staff who have been vaccinated, "thereby making our schools significantly safer."

Rivera told the MDJ 65% of Marietta Schools staff had been vaccinated at district-hosted vaccine clinics. He said the district believes the actual percentage of vaccinated district staff to be higher, as some staff members reported they'd already been vaccinated when offered the opportunity.

Rivera acknowledged that district guidelines for masking were no longer in lock step with the "recommended" public health guidelines. But, he said, Marietta is still following the data and science in crafting its policies and will shift, should the need arise.

"We have data to show that our classrooms are safe. If at any point in time we feel that they're not, it's my commitment to the community to be transparent about that and shift," he said. "It's no different than any other protocol that we've used to date."

Cobb School District officials did not respond to specific questions about parent concerns, instead pointing to the fact that all families "were given a choice between face-to-face and virtual classrooms for the upcoming school year."

More details on offered virtual programs can be found online at www.cobblearningeverywhere.com, district spokesperson Nan Kiel said.

While the federal and state public health guidance recommends mask wearing and social distancing of between 3 and 6 feet in K-12 schools, it also notes the importance of schooling students in person.

"CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk," guidance from the CDC website reads. "When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet ... it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking."

But the guidance continues with a later passage: "Because of the importance of in-person learning, schools where not everyone is fully vaccinated should implement physical distancing to the extent possible within their structures (in addition to masking and other prevention strategies), but should not exclude students from in-person learning to keep a minimum distance requirement."

In addition to their masking protocols, both school districts announced that social distancing will occur "when appropriate and possible," and that increased sanitation in schools and on buses would continue, as would quarantine and contact-tracing procedures.

Cobb parent and board member thoughts

Aidan Power is a father of two, with a 7-year-old son in the Cobb School District who said masks being made optional is concerning for him. Power said he'd rather see the district mandate masks for those not vaccinated, but "I'm pragmatic and I know that isn't going to happen."

Power did say, however, that he didn't think it unreasonable to expect a mandate in elementary schools, given that children below the age of 12 are still not yet eligible for any COVID-19 vaccine.

"I see that as a compromise between those who do and those who don't favor mask wearing," he said. "This could be revisited in 2022 once those of us who want to vaccinate our children can do so."

Power said masking was not his only concern. He noted that the eligibility for parents to sign up for the district's virtual school option closed before parents knew what the district's COVID-19 protocols would be for the upcoming school year and before the more contagious Delta variant began to spread locally and elsewhere.

Although Power and his wife were able to "make it work" when their son had to school at home last year, he said they ended up having to use paid leave, since their son has ADHD and needs full-time attention when he's in virtual classes.

Power also said he remains concerned about planning for the scenario when his son or his teachers have to be quarantined. There hasn't been enough district guidance on that front, he said.

Cobb school board member Leroy "Tre" Hutchins said he understands the concern and frustration of some parents. But, he added, the board is not part of the decision making for the district's COVID-19 procedure and masking policy.

"It's difficult because, as a parent, I have to weigh the same situation. I have to weigh it the same, because I'm sending kids back into our buildings, knowing that the Delta variant is here, and I did not take advantage of the (virtual) option back in April, when it was made available," said Hutchins, who has an elementary and a middle school student in the district. "Now I have to make the decision if I need to pull my son out and put him in Georgia Virtual or some of the other online schools."

Hutchins also said he noticed the effect those outside virtual options had on the Cobb district last year. He pointed to the drop in enrollment from around 112,000 students to 107,000.

Cobb school board Chairman Randy Scamihorn, on the other hand, said he fully supported the district's optional masking decision. He added, however, that he understands concerns from families who are trying to make the best decision for their children and individual health needs. He said he'd received "a few emails" from parents asking the district to reinstate mask mandates.

But he reiterated that each family can make their own decision on whether to have their student wear a mask, and he pointed to the district's virtual option made available for registration earlier this year. For parents who say they're concerned about virtual schooling for their children but they don't want to return to in-person class unless there's a mask mandate in place, Scamihorn said, "I don't have an answer for them."

"We're doing more for our children in Cobb County than probably 95% of the rest of the nation, let alone Georgia," he said. "I feel that the majority of our citizenry in Cobb County are very appreciative that masks will be optional."

Scamihorn also said he's confident that, should community virus spread or other concerning patterns emerge, Cobb Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and his staff would shift their policy accordingly.

Marietta parent and board member thoughts

Keri Ninness, a mother of five with three children in Marietta City Schools, said COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on her family. She lost her healthy, 63-year-old father and her grandmother to COVID-19 on the same day in March.

Even still, she said, she understood and appreciated the Marietta City School District's decision to make masks optional in the next school year.

Ninness said she's confident in data showing that young children are at far lower risk for becoming severely ill from the virus. And, she added, her own children suffered severe learning and social losses last year, even while learning in-person, because of masks. Ninness has a fifth-grader, a third-grader, and a second-grader.

That learning loss especially affected her 8-year-old son, who has a rare, neurological condition, she said.

"I saw firsthand the impact of him masking," Ninness said of the rising third-grader, "and teachers also masking. ... We watched how my son, with a rare disease, has been thriving, excelling in school settings ... despite a million obstacles. He regressed so significantly this year. It was almost like eight years of work was undone."

Ninness said the regression had nothing to do with her son's school, his teachers or even the district — they did what they had to do, and they couldn't have done it better, she said. But with a child so reliant on being able to see teacher expressions and clearly hear their speech, as well as being able to clearly communicate back to them, masks stunted much of his education.

Ninness said her other children were also affected emotionally and socially to the point that they didn't want to return to school. She added that her family is "very pro-vaccine," and encourages anyone eligible to get the vaccine.

"We are not COVID deniers. I have friends in my faith community that are like, 'It's all a hoax,'" she said. "It doesn't get more real than it does in our family. But with the numbers and the statistics in children — when we weigh that against what we saw the impact in our family, not just on our child with the rare disease ... we are willing to have them unmasked, knowing they may catch COVID. What we saw happen with the masks was significant and can't be ignored."

Marietta school board Chair Angela Orange said she has her concerns that "COVID is still raging," but said attention at this point should turn to getting as many shots in as many arms as possible.

Orange said she supported the district's decision to make masks optional, offering that she couldn't "see a world where we're masking forever."

"We're following the science and the data that we've seen come out of Marietta City Schools, and we have not seen vast community spread in our elementary schools, and vaccinations are available for 12 and up," she said, adding that families who see masks as a need should feel "empowered" to have their children wear them.

While the MDJ was not able to connect with a Marietta parent with concerns about the coming school year's COVID-19 procedure, Rivera said he'd received emails from "every perspective."

Rivera said he has encouraged concerned families to have their children mask up when they cannot social distance, except in cases that it's easier to function without one, such as at recess.

He said he's tried to explain the same to his own two daughters, one a rising kindergartner and one a rising third-grader.

"I think that's part of how we're trying to empower every family and every child to make decisions that are both safe and also comfortable for each."

Follow Thomas Hartwell on Twitter at twitter.com/MDJThomas.