Masks expected to remain optional in LO schools

By Megan Kelley

Review Writer

As the start of the 2021-22 school year approaches, Lake Orion Community Schools is preparing for an in-person return with some new COVID-19 procedures in place.

During the Board of Education meeting on Aug. 11, Superintendent Ben Kirby provided his usual COVID-19 update with additional information regarding the district’s plans for the beginning of the school year, but not before members of the community had the opportunity to address the board during public comment.

The board had five members of the public who wished to voice their comments, four of which involved the masking of students. Three of those four urged the board to require masks for students.

One of these speakers was Chris Peace, a district parent to two boys — one who has a major congenital heart defect and has had three open heart surgeries in his young life, Peace informed the board.

“Our understanding of the word ‘normal’ has come in conflict with that of what the average American thinks as normal. I’m unapologetic in saying the average American definition of ‘normal’ is one where we speak of community and caring for others without having to actually do it. Our willingness to act in the best interest of others directly conflicts with the level of inconvenience or trouble that it causes us. Bluntly speaking, our commitment wanes when times get tough,” Peace said.

Peace went on to voice concerns about the district making masks optional despite what “data and reasoning” have suggested.

“At what point are any of you comfortable with abandoning data and sound reasoning in order to appease an exhausted group of people? Do bad decisions become good ones simply because a majority may agree with you? For families like ours, your decisions can have real-life, irreparable consequences,” said Peace.

Another parent, Jessica Hallmark voiced her concerns about the lack of a mandated mask policy,

“My two children want to attend school in-person this year and we believe that having them attend in-person is necessary for their social/emotional and academic well-being and the overall well-being of our family. However, your decision to eliminate COVID-19 safety measures makes your school an unsafe environment for my two children, as well as other unvaccinated students,” Hallmark said. “Forcing parents to choose between sending their children into an unsafe schooling environment or enrolling them into a virtual program that cannot fulfill all of their social/emotional and academic needs or the needs of working families is not providing them with a meaningful choice.”

Hallmark added that because of this, her student’s have been enrolled in Dragon Virtual. However, if and when appropriate measures are put into place and/or her children are able to be vaccinated, she intends to have her students return to school in-person learning regardless of the year-long commitment the district has required for Dragon Virtual.

“At that time, we will insist that you fulfill your obligation to provide them with the in-person public education in which they are entitled and for which you receive public funding based on their attendance,” Hallmark said. “Your position that our children must commit to the Dragon Virtual program for the entire school year is unacceptable and we don’t accept it.

Despite the public comments, the expected 2021-22 procedures remained unchanged with the district maintaining their position that masks will be optional for the 2021-22 school year unless they are required to make masks mandatory.

“We do plan to continue to make those (masks) optional with personal choice, but I do think it’s really important for us to understand that we didn’t throw away all the mitigation strategies by making masks optional and a personal decision,” said Kirby.

Additionally, the district will no longer require that students and staff complete the ClearToGo app each day. Instead, parents will be required to fill out an agreement online one time at the start of the year that states they will monitor their child for COVID-19 symptoms prior to sending them to school.

As for social distancing, LOCS is expected to try and maintain 3 feet of social distance between students to the best of the district’s ability.

Currently, Oakland County’s vaccination rate is at around 70 percent, much higher than that of the United States as a whole. Children under age 12, however, are not eligible to get vaccinated.

“When (the) CDC (Centers for Disease Control) makes their recommendations, they’re making the recommendations for the entire United States. The United States vaccination rate is at 50.8 percent. Our Michigan vaccination rate is at 49 percent. Our county vaccination rate, fully vaccinated, is at almost 66 percent. So, our county vaccination rate is at a much higher rate than what our country is and what our state is,” Kirby said.

So far this month, the district has had two COVID-19 positive individuals, both of whom were staff in the transportation department.

LOCS asks that sick staff and students stay home and continue to practice proper hygiene, like washing your hands regularly.