Harrison Hills Board of Education: Continue mask-wearing

BY JD LONG (jim@harrisonnewsherald.com)

CADIZ—The Harrison Hills Board of Education’s meeting last week covered various topics, but it focused on superintendent Dana Snider’s monthly report and her recommendation to continue mask-wearing inside the school. She said the mandate would be reevaluated at next month’s meeting. Her rationalization for the decision was that wearing a mask reduces quarantines. When the mask mandate went into effect last month, there were approximately 130 students under quarantine. Now, there are just 34.

“Because if they wear a mask, we do not have to quarantine them,” Snider explained. “Our goal as educators is to keep students in class and be educated. If they sit next to someone in class and they’re COVID, they have to get quarantined. If I sit next to her and I have a mask, I do not have to be quarantined.”

Snider said the ultimate goal was to keep the students in the seats learning and added that not only were quarantined cases down by around 100, but overall cases are now at just 10, including both students and staff.

“We’re willing to work with any parent that has some problem with their child wearing a mask,” Snider stated. “Some students just can’t handle it.”

She also told the board that they informed parents that their children could risk being quarantined without masks. Reasons to forgive mask-wearing could be religious or medical, but she mentioned that only four parents sent formal notes stating why their child won’t wear a mask.

“We want students in school. We want them educated, so I’m very pleased with the results now,” Snider said. The board gave unanimous approval, and president D.J. Watson reminded the public that the school board does not set the quarantine guidelines. He stated that the school follows the guidelines set by either the CDC or the Harrison County Health Department.

“These guidelines are set up by the CDC or the health department [and] they control how that situation plays out,” Watson explained, adding that he was also in favor of continuing the mask mandate if it keeps students in the classroom. Snider repeated that Harrison Hills City School District is not in charge of any quarantine rule, referencing numerous phone calls she’s already received on the subject.

“We have no say in the quarantining,” Snider said. “We give them the data... but we do not quarantine. The Harrison County Health Department [is the] authority, so there’s some confusion there.” She continued that the board voted for no masks in prior months but that it didn’t work. “It was important...that we tried,” she told the board.