MS Coast’s largest school district rejects mask mandate hours before first day of class
When school starts in Mississippi’s fourth-largest district on Thursday, masks will be optional.
The Harrison County school board voted 3-2 on Wednesday evening, at a crowded and tense special-call meeting, to make masks strongly recommended but not mandatory.
Harrison County’s board is now the only one on the Coast that has considered and rejected a mask mandate. Rena Wiggins, David Ladner and Eric Simmons voted for the motion to make masks recommended but not mandatory, while Dr. Barbara Thomas and Tom Daniels voted against it.
About 60 people, including parents, teachers and community members, attended the meeting to listen and weigh in. When the vote was announced, about half the room erupted in cheers and standing applause.
Sandra Norwood, a nurse who spoke in favor of a mask mandate during the public comment period, left in tears.
“I gotta send my kids to school, ‘cause I have to work,” she said.
The public comment period offered a window into Mississippians’ sharply polarized views of masks.
Amanda Roberts, whose son attends D’Iberville High School, discussed how teen suicide attempts had sharply increased in 2020 as the pandemic disrupted nearly every aspect of life, suggesting that mandating masks could contribute to that trend.
“The death from that suicide would be on every person that forced them against their will to do this daily,” she said.
“Stand strong for mask choice,” another mother pleaded with the board, tearing up and stopping to compose herself. “Let our children breathe freely and see one another’s beautiful smiles.”
Her daughter, a 13-year-old, sobbed before beginning her speech. The family would home school if a mandate was put in place.
“I’m even willing to give up cheer just so I don’t have to wear a mask everyday,” she said.
“You literally have our children’s lives in the palm of your hand,” said Kristin Stachura Allen. “The variant is affecting our children, and you are failing to protect every single one of them if you don’t put a mandate in place.”
Jeff Collins, a parent and registered nurse, said ICU availability was strained, and patients are backing up into emergency rooms. COVID-19 cases at school could lead to greater spread, he said.
“When they take that home, those are the people who are going to end up being patients,” he said.
“I watched a 27-year-old die,” said Rhonda Williams, who said she is studying for a doctorate in pharmacy. “This variant is targeting our children... I don’t want to see my son in an ICU bed.”
Before the vote, parents who had not arrived in time to sign up for public comment, limited to 10 people, asked the board to speak. One man was asked to leave the room.
“I didn’t know nothing about the list,” he said. “You’re asking us to leave. Roger that.”
Last month, the CDC issued guidance that due to the spread of the delta variant, everyone at schools, vaccinated or not, should wear masks in doors.
The Mississippi State Department of Health also recommends universal masking at schools.
Rallying supporters on both sides
Before the vote, board member Rena Wiggins posted on Facebook urging parents who don’t want a mandate to contact their school board members and to attend the meeting in person.
“It is the right of parents and employees to make health and medical decisions as they see fit for themselves and their families,” she wrote. “Too often the Board hears one side of an argument and the silent majority’s voice goes unheard. You can email but there is a chance that your email will not be seen until after the decision has been made so attending in person is the best way to ensure your voice is heard.”
Supporters of the mask mandate also rallied attendees on Facebook, particularly in the group Harrison County Parents for a Safer Return to School.
“Attendance speak volumes,” one mother wrote. “Don’t let me be alone advocating for masks. If you want to talk, come early and sign in. If you don’t want to speak. Bring yourself and nod your head in agreement. The board is elected by voters, and your presence speaks volumes.”
In an interview before the meeting, Roberts said she felt the school board did not have the authority to impose a mandate. Last year, she pointed out, the mandate had come from Gov. Tate Reeves. Last month, Reeves called the latest CDC guidance on masks “foolish.”
“If our own governor says it’s foolish, and is not mandating it, as he did last time, I don’t know why our school board... feels like they have a right to do it,” she said.
In recent days, almost every district on the Coast moved from making masks optional to mandating them as COVID-19 cases surge across the state.
On Tuesday night, just before classes started Wednesday, the Ocean Springs school board voted 3-2 to require masks.
Masks remain optional in two other districts: Bay-Waveland and Jackson County.
Neither district’s school board has held a separate vote on a mask mandate, the district superintendents confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 6:36 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the board’s vote. The board voted 3-2 on a motion to make masks recommended but not required. The board did not vote on a motion to mandate masks.
