Mask Mandates In Schools: Parents Push Back

VESTAVIA HILLS, AL — Schools across the Birmingham metro welcome students back for the 2020-21 school year in the next few days, and most local school systems have mandated the wearing of masks indoors by students and staff, while others have just "encouraged" masks. Either way, parents are not happy with it.

In Vestavia Hills, parents who want masks to be required convened at Monday's Board of Education meeting, but were unable to get their protests on the record. The system will not require masks, but recommend them.

"I want to acknowledge the many families who have shared their perspectives, concerns, and suggestions for this school year with me," Vestavia Hills City Schools superintendent Todd Freeman said in a statement. "Each correspondence has affirmed that we all share the common bond of wanting the very best for our children. I also want to emphasize that VHCS will continually evaluate our attendance and health data along with all components of our instructional and operational plans and notify you promptly of any changes."

Feedback from parents in Vestavia during the last school year and over the summer have indicated a strong opposition to wearing masks, as the vast majority of parents who have spoken at board meetings have been opposed to mask mandates.

Hoover City Schools had initially planned on making masks optional, but voted Friday to make masks mandatory for the first 30 days of the school year. Parents who wanted a mask mandate have been vocal in Hoover in recent weeks, although Friday's meeting included opinions on both sides of the mask debate.

Birmingham City Schools, which welcomed back students to campuses Aug. 2, made masks mandatory for the beginning of the year, as did Mountain Brook Schools. Parents in Mountain Brook have had strong opinions on the wearing of masks, even threatening to withdraw their kids from the system if they are required to wear masks.

"While we understand that members of our community may disagree on the best course of action, we are committed to doing everything we can to give the Mountain Brook community the best chance of a consistent school year, where students can engage with teachers in their classrooms," Mountain Brook superintended Dicky Barlow said. "However, we respect that every family must make decisions that are best suited for their individual needs. To that end, we will be offering instructional options to help families choose the route that best meets their needs. To be very clear, these decisions are not determined by petitions, popularity, or political leanings. These decisions are made solely on the recommendations and consultations with our public health officials who are trained and have the expertise to make such recommendations."

The Alabama Department of Public Health released new recommendations for schools last week, which has played into the decisions of school officials in reshaping reopening plans.

"The best CDC strategies for students to remain in the classroom, even if exposed to a positive COVID-19 case, are the use of masks, spacing, and vaccinations," state health director Dr. Scott Harris said in the ADPH statement. "For those students too young for vaccinations, consistent and correct mask use and three feet (six feet is better) of social distance in classrooms will help students to remain in the classroom, and mitigate the further spread of the COVID-19 virus and prevent outbreaks."Implementing universal masking, spacing, and vaccinations (when age-appropriate) recommendations will allow more students to remain in school, more parents and grandparents to remain at work, and most importantly prevent an outbreak in the school that could spread to the community at large."