MCDONOUGH, Ga. — One of Georgia’s worst COVID hotspots is Henry County, about 35 miles south of the City of Atlanta, according to data from the Georgia Dept. of Public Health.
Monday, the Henry County School Board decided to return to the more restrictive “Level Four” COVID rules, from Level Two. One of the provisions of Level Four is an immediate mask mandate for everyone inside the schools for all students, teachers and staff.
Henry County had begun the 2021-2022 school year this past Wednesday with masks optional.
But as of Tuesday morning, August 10, masks were required for everyone inside the schools.
The COVID policies are life and death issues for many, and there is no agreement among all parents on how to keep children safe in the classrooms, particularly in Henry County, a county that is now in a COVID state of emergency.
So, Monday night’s regularly scheduled school board meeting suddenly was limited to a less-than-capacity crowd, to assure social distancing. Then the meeting devolved into a shouting match over masks.
Parents on both sides of the mask debate had wanted to speak their minds at the board meeting.
But Henry County’s school superintendent, Mary Elizabeth Davis, surprised parents when she announced that the board had to cancel the in-person public hearing, because the board had just re-instated the tighter, “Level Four” indoor COVID safety restrictions, which provide for on-line public hearings, only.
Parents began shouting at each other, and at the board, chanting, at one point, “Let us speak!”
Board members recessed the meeting, then tried to resume, but people in the meeting room continue to shout at them and at each other.
The board adjourned, and four of the five board members, along with the superintendent and staff, left.
Only board member Makenzie McDaniel stayed behind to listen to those who insisted on being heard, in person.
And McDaniel got an earful, directed at those who had left.
“The cowardice on exhibit here,” said parent Sharon Poindexter, “with people (board members) leaving—yes, is this is a challenging subject? Yes. But you don’t walk out! You don’t walk out on the people that pay your bills!”
People for and against school mask mandates cheered together and in unison.
School spokesperson J.D. Hardin said the mask mandates are necessary, for now, because cases and hospitalizations are increasing so rapidly in Henry County.
“We need to make sure that every mitigation strategy at our disposal should be employed,” Hardin said.
Parent Jerry Knight came to the meeting hoping the board would order the mask mandate.
“I would say if it’s enforced and it’s taken seriously, yes, we do feel a little more comfortable” about children attending classes in person, Knight said. He said the next step is for the school system to install plastic barriers in the classrooms, such as between students’ desks, to help with social distancing.
But McKenzie Sage and other parents were angry that they were not able to tell the board why they support keeping in place the "Level Two" policy of optional-only masks for children in class.
“We were hoping the school board would recognize the fact that it should be the parents’ choice whether to muzzle our children or not,” Sage said.
As for vaccinations, Hardin said administrators do not know, yet, how many teachers and staff have been vaccinated, but administrators are offering them a bonus of $1000 each to get vaccinated before the end of September.