Libby schools to require students wear masks

Libby Public School District administrators will take a firm stance on face coverings when schools reopen.

Barring a major reduction in coronavirus cases, students must wear face coverings when classes resume. The policy is outlined in the district’s COVID-19 guidelines, which were approved during an Aug. 10 school board meeting.

“[I] hope and pray everything works,” trustee Bgee Zimmerman said after making a motion to approve the plans.

During the meeting, Superintendent Ron Goodman said district staff members will ask families at registration whether they intend to send their children to school wearing a face covering.

While families may opt for exemptions that would allow students to isolate behind barriers or wear face shields instead of masks, Goodman maintained that masks remain the best option for slowing the spread of the coronavirus and ensuring classrooms stay open.

Exemptions to the mask requirement will be granted on a case-by-case basis, according to Goodman. Students will not need a note from a medical professional to receive one.

Goodman made his announcement at the meeting via videoconference. He and nearly ten other district staff members were self-isolating after a school employee tested positive for the virus last week. Goodman said his isolation would end Aug. 20, less than a week before Libby schools reopen.

According to Goodman, the students that opt for face shields will not be allowed in classrooms taught by teachers with certain medical conditions.

“We have a good number of compromised immune system teachers that are going to, as per doctor’s orders, need a mask not a shield,” he said.

If a student without an exemption were to refuse to wear a face mask, they would be barred from entering classrooms. School staff would deal with the infractions like any dress code violation and call the student’s parents, according to Goodman.

“The bottom line is … we’re going to ask students to follow the rules just like we ask them to follow the rules all the time,” he said. “If the kid wants to wear a bikini in the classroom that’s not going to happen either.”

Scott Beagle, curriculum and special services director, defined the term “mask” as any kind of covering — from manufactured tissue or fabric masks to neck gaiters — that students can put over their faces. Like other clothing worn at schools, masks cannot be scrawled with profanity or reference drugs or alcohol.

Board member Sam Rosling raised concerns that teachers might be overzealous in enforcing mask requirements. He criticized the plan for lack of specificity regarding infractions.

What if a student were to remove their mask for a breath of air, he asked, would they be treated the same as a student who refused to wear one?

Parent Amanda Gleason offered a similar critique. Gleason said she has a child in the third grade that struggles to leave her mask alone.

Goodman assured parents that teachers would be reasonable in their enforcement. Maintaining a working relationship with parents will be critical, he said.

“I just think we all need to be as understanding of each other’s point of view as possible,” Goodman said.

Gov. Steve Bullock rendered much of the debate moot during an Aug. 12 press conference. In a new directive, the governor extended his mask mandate for counties with more than four active cases of COVID-19 to include schools.

Back in Libby, Goodman said the district was working on a plan that would provide students with scheduled mask breaks during the school day.

Goodman told board members during the meeting that the mask policy may change depending on the state of the pandemic locally. If the number of COVID-19 cases drops significantly in the coming months, schools would work with the healthcare community to update their plans.

Despite having nearly ten school officials in quarantine, Goodman said he still plans to open schools under phase two of the district’s guidelines. Phase two allows students to mix in groups of up to 50 while wearing masks. Families may opt for remote learning schedules in this phase for valid medical reasons.

The district’s plan is broken down into three other stages ranging from phase zero, in which classes would be remote, and phase three, which would see schools operate as they had before the pandemic. In phase one, students will be restricted to small groups, which will be kept together throughout the day while allowing for remote learning at the behest of families.