Hoover parents speak out about school mask mandate

Parents filled the Hoover school board meeting Monday night to give their views about the school board vote Friday to require masks for the first 30 days of school.

Most of the crowd showed displeasure with the decision, and one man said his children would not be wearing masks regardless of the school board policy.

“You guys are blatantly violating the First Amendment,” one parent said. “Your feelings do not supercede my First Amendment. It’s voluntary. If you feel unsafe to go somewhere, wear a mask. I do not wear a mask because I feel safe … My kids will not be wearing a mask. I don’t really care what y’all think.”

Steve Lawrence, another parent, pointed to a state law that makes it illegal to wear a mask in public. While the state attorney general said that law would not be enforced due to the governor’s state of emergency, the governor terminated that state of emergency on July 6, Lawrence said.

“I believe you should not be allowed to force others to break the law, thereby abusing your position of power on the Hoover school Board of Education,” Lawrence said.

He also said it’s virtually impossible for kids to properly wear masks seven hours a day, five days a week without potentially causing harm to themselves. And being able to see faces and mouths is important for social development, language learning and speech therapy, Lawrence said.

He has listened to stories of the negative mental and physical effects of wearing masks — kids feeling isolated and alone and attempting suicide and moms who feel helpless to help their children, he said.

“Teachers are afraid to speak up about the negative impacts masks are having as well as problems caused in the classroom trying to force kids to wear them,” he said.

He asked the board to reconsider its decision and follow Superintendent Dee Fowler’s original recommendation to “strongly recommend” but not require masks, which matched the guidance given by the state.

Lawrence’s remarks were met by loud applause and vocal support by many in attendance.

Two people thanked the school board for implementing the mask mandate for 30 days.

Josh Flores said that, as an educator, he knows how vital it is for students to feel safe in order to learn.

“My son feels safer knowing his school is doing everything they can to limit any risk in these strange times,” Flores said. “It definitely helps his mental health … We don’t know where students go after they leave, but we can do everything possible to keep them safe in our schools.”

Karli Morris, another parent and mathematician, thanked the school board for following the numbers.

“They don’t always tell me what I want to hear, but they always tell the truth,” Morris said. “The growth rate has coronavirus doubling every seven days in our state … A few kids in school could case a major outbreak pretty quickly, and I don’t think we want to do that. Masks will slow down that doubling time.”

Morris said the American Academy of Pediatrics emphatically favors universal masking in schools.

“When my kids are sick, I trust their pediatrician to help me take care of them,” she said. “When we’re in a worldwide pandemic, I trust pediatricians to help me know how to keep my kids safe.”The school board definitely has a right to make a decision about what happens inside its schools, Morris said. “If people don’t want to follow the rules, they can choose not to go to that school.”

She believes quarantines are causing the isolation and mental health problems, not the masks, she said. “If masks can help prevent quarantines, I think you need to do what’s best for our kids.”

Laura Hauguel, a parent and pediatric nurse, said numbers are not always 100% right. “Masking may or may not help,” she said.

Children end up picking their masks up off the ground and putting them back on their faces, or they switch masks with their friends, she said. “These people need to do what’s best for their children.”

Amy Mudano, the school board vice president who on Friday joined two other school board members in voting for a mask mandate for the first 30 days of school, apologized for not wearing a mask during school board meetings last week.

While it wasn’t a school board policy at the time that visitors wear masks, both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Alabama Department of Public Health recommended universal masking inside schools, Mudano said.

“We’re all parents and community members, and everyone up here is just trying to do the best we can for kids,” Mudano said. “I think it’s important to follow the data, listen to those with the most knowledge and expertise. Our goals are all the same. Let’s keep our kids safe and healthy and give them the best possible chance to stand.”

Fowler said while everyone may not agree on everything, he met with principals Monday morning and all of them are excited to get school back in session.

“I know that kids are ready to get back in school. I know that kids are ready to see their friends, to see their teachers, to get involved in activities in schools,” Fowler said. “We all agree that school is a great place for kids, and we all agree that there is not a district better in the state of Alabama or the Southeast than Hoover City Schools, and we want you to know that we will be welcoming your kids with open arms.”

HOOVER HIGH THEATER

In other business Monday night, the school board agreed to hire the Lathan Associates architectural firm to do the design for a new theater at Hoover High School and Volkert Inc. to serve as a program manager for the design process.

Volkert will be a second set of eyes in a time when the construction industry is in disarray with high prices, Fowler said.

“We’re very excited about that and excited to get this project off the ground,” Fowler said.

The design process should take about six months, said Rick Lathan of Lathan Associates.

Matt Wilson, the school district’s operations coordinator, said the theater is estimated to cost almost $10.5 million, including fees for architects and other services. Lathan Associates will be paid about 6.6% of the expected $9.7 million construction cost, which is about half a percentage point less than normal architectural fees, Wilson said. Lathan Associates agreed to donate that half a percentage point back to the school system, he said.

A theater upgrade at Spain Park High School will come later, Fowler said.

The school board also:

• Agreed to raise the pay for substitute bus drivers to $90 a day.
• Approved a change order for a window replacement job at Green Valley, Shades Mountain and Bluff Park elementary schools, reducing the cost by $30,000.
• Changed the regular meeting time for the school board from the second Monday of each month to the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. This was a change recommended by Bluff Park resident Robin Schultz because the current school board meetings conflict with Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission meetings.
• Approved a recommendation from Fowler for Deputy Superintendent Ron Dodson to delay his retirement from Sept. 1 until at least the end of 2021.