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As tempers heated up over students being required to wear masks in school and at school functions, the president of the Montoursville Area School Board called for a suspension of the meeting in order for people to cool off before returning to the issue.
As the board discussed if protocol allowed public comment on a motion before the vote was taken, members of the public began shouting that they felt the board had ample time to consider the issue.
One woman who had spoken during the public comment portion of the meeting reminded the board that the subject of student mask-wearing had been brought up at several meetings.
"It's been like three meetings…and email after email," she shouted out. "The truth is we've been talking about this for months," she continued as David Shimmel, board president, cautioned her to stop or she would have to leave the building. Other members of the public added their dissenting voices, yelling that they were tired of wearing masks, to which Shimmel replied that he too was tired of the face coverings.
"Then don't do it," one man said.
"Why do you tell your grandchildren to do something you don't believe in," the man added.
At last month's school board meeting, multiple students spoke in favor of wearing masks until the end of the school year to ensure in-person classes.
Amid yelling, Shimmel pounded the gavel declaring the meeting was suspended.
When asked if it was permissible to suspend the meeting during public comment time, Shimmel told the public that the time would resume when the board returned.
"We'll return to public comment in a moment, but when the public gets out of line like this it is reasonable to suspend the meeting to ensure proper decorum. Right now the public is not ensuring proper decorum," he said.
"Bunch of freaking Marxists, you're pushing it," one man could be heard saying as the board left the room.
The issue of the students and mask wearing was initially raised by board member Ronald Snell earlier in the meeting. Snell said the district had purchased plexi-glass desk shields for students to use in order for them to remove their masks while seated at desks. Snell claimed the shields had never been used.
Speaking with Christina Bason, district superintendent, the day after the meeting, she said that the shields had actually been used throughout the school year until April 9. She added that elementary students are still using them.
According to guidance from the state's Department of Health, students are permitted to remove masks in the school setting when they are eating or drinking when spaced at least 6 feet apart; or when wearing a face covering creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task; or at least six feet apart during "face-covering breaks" to last no longer than 10 minutes.
When the board resumed its meeting, one man stated that the guidance from the Department of Health and the state's Department of Education did not qualify as law, but as policies and suggestions.
"I understand that you come under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education and we all come, one way or another, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health. You need to stand up. You need to push back," he said.
Bason told the group that the district had pushed back and that she had asked about the mask mandate from both departments and that she had passed along information to some of the people who were complaining about the issue.
"Recently, April 29, I asked for clarification of what the word 'alternative' meant," Bason said.
"Currently, what we understand 'alternative' to mean is a face shield. If a child has a medical condition that they need to wear a face shield, then they are allowed to. I would like to see them have the latitude without the medical necessity. I would like to know that we could make that decision here," she said, adding that she had not yet received an answer to her inquiries.
With 21 days of school remaining in the district, the board voted to refer the issue of masks back to the health and safety committee to have them evaluate and reassess the use of face shields and desk shields in lieu of masking.
"While they're at their desks and can be protected with shields, it should be voluntary whether they want to use the masks or not," Snell added.