Gosnell continues mask policy

A 5-2 vote by the Gosnell School Board confirmed the district’s following of CDC and ADH guidelines concerning masks for the remainder of the school year.

The board did confirm that there has not been a positive case in the district for 8 weeks. Additionally however, no students have received any vaccination.

The thought of possible quarantines with end-of-year testing approaching, was enough for board member John Weiss to support the continuing to wear masks.

“As long as we have ACT Aspire tests out there we have to keep wearing masks,” Weiss said. “We’ve worked so hard all year long and if we start getting quarantined right before testing starts in the next three weeks, all of that is for [nothing]. I just think we're too close to back off now. Whether the masks work or not is debatable, but if we can make a choice that keeps kids in school, that’s the choice we need to make.”

Questions of requiring masks during outdoor events such as baseball/softball games arose as well. With athletes not wearing masks while competing so far, the debate on having masks and in classrooms continued.

“If I’m in the dugout and we don’t have masks on and I end up testing positive for Covid, now everybody in the dugout has to be quarantined, correct?” board member Danny Quearry said. “We may have the whole Jr/Sr baseball, softball or track teams quarantine. I’m just saying if we go with the masks, we need to enforce it and not turn a blind eye.”

Issues of the school’s community wearing masks at other public places weighed in on how board members voted as well. “If you were telling me every teacher or student that leaves this school wears a mask until the time they go to bed, I’d say yes. But not [everyone] does,” Quearry said.

Board member Gary Payne added, “I think it should be up to the student and parent. That’s a freedom and choice they have to make, it should be an option.”

With the lack of positive cases, board member Doug Johnson felt that continuing the current plans was the best decision to complete the year.

“I think it’s better for our school, with everything surrounding it, to continue going as we have been and not change anything. What they’ve been doing is working, I’d rather keep it like that,” Johnson said.

The board also approved: