Libby school board considers reiterating face mask policy

When Gov. Greg Gianforte lifted the statewide face covering mandate earlier this month, he made sure legislation was in place to protect business owners who chose not to require masks.

No such protections exist for public schools, however.

Speaking during a Feb. 22 Libby Public School Board meeting, member Bgee Zimmerman said lawyers had recommended that the district keep its mask policy in place to avoid potential lawsuits. Senate Bill 65, passed by state legislators in early February and signed into law by Gianforte, shields private entities from legal liability in the event that someone dies or is injured after being exposed to the coronavirus on their premises. The provisions don’t apply in cases of “gross negligence” or “willful and wanton misconduct.”

Superintendent Ron Goodman said lawmakers could extend protections to public schools. But even then, Goodman said the board would have to follow guidelines to avoid cases of negligence.

While Libby school administrators currently require students and staff to wear masks on district property, Zimmerman said she would ask board members to support a policy that would cement the practice at an upcoming meeting. It also would offer critics an explanation, she argued.

“We can’t just say whether we want people to wear masks or not,” she said. “We have to say why.”

Before Gianforte lifted his mandate, Goodman said he would maintain the district’s mask requirements until the threat of the coronavirus abated. During a January school board meeting, Goodman pointed to data that showed that the policy had helped prevent the spread of the virus in schools.

Troy superintendent Jacob Francom said the Troy Public School Board had decided to keep the district’s face covering requirements in place after Gianforte lifted the state-wide mandate as well. While Troy’s requirements are less stringent than Libby’s — Troy students are not required to wear masks in classrooms — Francom said the policy has proven effective at limiting the spread of the virus. Since the start of the academic year, Troy Schools maintained in-person learning. Libby schools closed classrooms twice in the fall out of concern the virus was circulating within the district’s buildings.

School officials across the county have faced some pressure to lift mask requirements. Residents recently began circulating a petition online to do away with face coverings in schoolhouses.

“Let your voice be heard, let kids be kids, take back our freedoms,” wrote Kimmy Green, creator of the appeal, in the petition summary.

Green has declined to speak to the press on her effort.

The petition had garnered 228 signatures as of 3 p.m. on Feb. 23.

Some school districts including Thompson Falls, Big Fork and Florence-Carlton have dropped their face covering requirements.

Back in Libby, Goodman has argued that Gianforte has tacitly endorsed face masks in schools. Pointing to a line in the governor’s executive order that lifted the statewide mask mandate, Goodman said districts must still “make reasonable efforts to follow school guidelines and best practices recommended by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the Montana Office of Public Instruction.”

The CDC recommends that schools implement mask and social distancing policies to stop the spread of the virus.