Hoover parents plead with school board to stop mask mandate

Dozens of Hoover parents pleaded with the Hoover Board of Education tonight to do away with the requirement that students wear masks at school, and some spoke against close contact quarantining and potential mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.

Several dozen people filled the lobby of the school system’s Farr Administration Building, many holding signs calling for the removal of the mask requirement.

They were prevented from staying in the boardroom for tonight’s school board meeting due to limited occupancy and social distancing requirements, but six parents representing the group were allowed in individually to speak to the board.

The school district last week released a statement saying that masks would be optional for the outdoor graduation ceremonies for Hoover and Spain Park high schools later this month. Also, masks will be optional for students for summer programs and activities, starting June 1, interim Superintendent Tera Simmons said.

Hoover school officials will continue to establish COVID procedures as state and county guidelines are updated, but Hoover officials still “anticipate” that masks will be optional for the coming school year.

Sheree Cobia, the parent of children at Brock’s Gap Intermediate School and Bumpus Middle School, asked the school board if the graduation ceremonies can be mask-free, why not go ahead and make school mask-free for the remainder of the year?

“The evidence shows that masks do not work to prevent the spread of viruses,” Cobia said.

Anthony Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, could not present one study that shows masks work when he testified before Congress, Cobia said.

She left the board thousands of pages of medical journal articles and scientific studies that she said show that masks are ineffective and actually harmful.

Melissa Mayfield, the mother of three girls in Hoover schools, said she and her husband chose to live in Hoover so their children could experience diversity.

“The masks go against every idea of diversity this great school system offers,” Mayfield said. “Masks act as a uniform, covering up all emotion and personalities and conditioning them to silence. They silence our children in a way that is more detrimental to their health and well being than this virus ever will be. It has instilled fear in them. It has conditioned them to believe that to show their face is not normal.”

Many teachers who don’t believe masks should be required are afraid to speak up because they fear retribution,” Mayfield said.

Jenny Bennett, another parent of three Hoover students, said children are having to bear a heavy burden by wearing masks. She said she’s concerned about lung damage, mental health and increased incidences of substance abuse and suicide. “Enough is enough,” Bennett said. “No child should live behind the mask.”

Angela Schaeffer, another parent, recited the preamble to the Constitution to the board and said “we are a nation founded on freedom and the right to choose.”

The pandemic already has inhibited the ability of people to worship together, has led many small businesses to shut down and caused many children to fall behind in their education, she said. She was pleased when the governor lifted the mandate for people to wear masks and doesn’t think it’s right that the Hoover school system is still requiring it.

She also pointed out the inconsistency of students being forced to wear a mask to sing and dance while athletes are free to play without them.

Jeff Davis, the parent of two students in Hoover schools, said it’s unconscionable that Hoover school officials would actually consider requiring students to get a COVID-19 vaccination in order to return to school without a mask.

He works in the biotech industry, he said. “In a fast-moving environment, our industry makes decisions and pivots on evidence found in data,” he said. “Our response to COVID-19 should be no different.”

There is no data to support the virus spreading to or from school-age children to the degree that would warrant this type of vaccination policy, Davis said. This is especially true when there is no data that masks reduce the incidence of contracting or transmitting COVID-19, he said.

“The untold and undetected damage, physically and emotionally, COVID and masks are doing to our kids will sadly be realized for years to come when it’s far too late,” Davis said.

The vast majority of the public, teachers and administrators have had the opportunity to get vaccinated, he said. He and his wife were vaccinated, but they support the idea of personal choice.

“It’s time to unmask our kids and make this a personal decision for administrators, teachers, staff, but more importantly for our students,” Davis said. “Please don’t let the political environment steer this decision any longer. It’s nothing more than virtue signaling based on fear and intimidation, not on science and what the data tells us.”

After tonight’s board meeting, Simmons said decisions about masks have not been easy, but there are a lot of people who support the use of masks as well.

“We’re just trying to do our best to ensure the safety of our students and our faculty,” she said.

Some school employees have not had enough time pass since getting their second vaccination shot to be in the clear yet, Simmons said.

“We’re just trying to end the school year positively and keep our employees safe. … Anything we can do to end this school year successfully. We’re talking about 2½ more weeks.”