The Pinellas School Board Won't Discuss Mask Mandate Despite Pleas From Parents

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — A contingent of parents on hand at the Pinellas County School Board meeting to urge school board members to consider a school mask mandate walked away disappointed when the board refused to discuss the issue.

In the face of rising coronavirus rates in public schools, 13 Florida school districts have defied Gov. Ron DeSantis' executive order prohibiting school districts from mandating masks for students and employees.

Pinellas County, however, is not among those challenging the governor. Since school began Aug. 11, the Pinellas County School District has left the choice of whether to wear a mask up to parents and staff.

To date, the number of parents speaking out against mandatory masks at school board meetings has outweighed the number in favor.

However, prior to Tuesday's meeting, pro-mask groups rallied parents in favor of masks to show up and speak.

It wasn't until the end of the school board meeting, when board members had an opportunity to comment on items not on the agenda, that school board member Caprice Edmond broached the subject.

Edmond moved the board adopt a 90-day mask mandate with an opt-out for medical reasons. She also suggested the mandate be reassessed every 30 days.

When there was no second to her motion, Edmond asked if there was a consensus of school board members willing to hold a special meeting to discuss mandatory masks and other COVID-19 mitigation issues.

Only school board members Lisa Cane and Laura Hine supported the idea of a special meeting, but the board agreed to have a general discussion of COVID-19 mitigation issues such as the air purification systems and the lack of substitute teachers, during its workshop set for Tuesday, Sept. 21.

Reluctant to leave the school board meeting without speaking their minds, a large group of parents and teachers sat through the school district's second budget hearing and then used the public comment portion of the hearing to speak their minds.

Among those who spoke to the board was longtime St. Petersburg High School economics teacher Lee Bryant, who said he's concerned because the majority of seniors he teaches do not wear masks. There were 3,556 positive coronavirus cases among staff and students in the first six weeks of school, he added.

"The number of reported (COVID-19) cases is scary; the number of unreported cases is scarier," he said. "If it saves even one life, it is the right thing to do. Show some courage. Mandate masks and keep them safe."

Liam Oliver, a seventh-grader at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School in Largo, told the board that, although he is vaccinated, he continues to wear a mask to protect others. He said he has two brothers who are too young to be vaccinated, one with epilepsy who is at risk of serious consequences if he contracts COVID-19.

His father, the Rev. Randy Oliver, pastor of Allendale United Methodist Church, said already this year his children have been in quarantine, have had a stream of substitute teachers and have had bus schedule changes that resulted in one son riding the bus an additional hour every week.

He said a mask mandate "will allow your school staff to remain focused on the No. 1 priority: teaching our children."

According to the Florida Education Association, 10 Florida school-age children and 46 educators and school staff have died from COVID-19 since DeSantis issued his July 6 order prohibiting mask mandates.

Additionally, according to the FEA, 200,834 Florida school-age children (kindergarten through grade 12) have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The state currently has a 14.6 percent pediatric positivity rate. The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a threshold of 5 percent for students to safety return to school.

To date, according to the Pinellas County school coronavirus tracker, 4,792 teachers and students in Pinellas County have tested positive for coronavirus since the school year started.

On the other side of the issue, father of a Pinellas County student Steven Russell said there's been no studies on the consequences of forcing a child to wear a mask all day including anxiety, breathing problems, learning issues and distraction due to the discomfort of masks.

"Too often we accept the politicization of science," Russell said. "There's no data that masks prevent the spread of COVID in a school situation. The flu and other viruses have a greater mortality rate for children, and we don't require masks for those viruses. Forcing everyone to do something without the data is a very dangerous and slippery slope."