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Montgomery Township board says reopening decisions will follow CDC guidance; parent urges mask opt-out
Summary
Board leaders said the district will consult CDC guidance, the local health department and the school physician as it finalizes protocols for September; a parent told the board she will not enroll her child if masks are mandatory.
The Montgomery Township School District said it will base fall reopening protocols on the latest CDC guidance in consultation with the local health department and the district’s school physician, while a parent urged the board to make masking optional and said she would not enroll her child if masks were required.
Board members and district staff told the meeting that the CDC’s updated guidance for schools will be one source of information as the district develops both districtwide and school-specific plans for September. The superintendent said the district will review changes to quarantine, masking and distancing rules with the local health department and the school physician and will communicate a timeline and school-specific protocols to families when data are available.
The matter drew public comment. Gabriela Zalba of 523 Township Line Road in Blawenburg (identified at the meeting as a parent) told the board she is considering not enrolling her kindergartener if masking is mandatory. She cited published studies and expressed medical concerns about oxygen and carbon-dioxide levels while children wear masks. "I don't want him to start kindergarten like this," Zalba said.
Board members responded that the district had been collecting parent input by survey and holding listening sessions, and that any formal guidance or policy would be developed with medical experts. A board member said the district plans to hold at least one public forum after the district and school timelines are finalized so parents can hear experts and ask questions. The board also noted that vaccination rates for staff in the district are high and said that will factor into planning.
District staff said the survey of parents was used to guide the most recent return-to-school planning and that state requirements mandate an updated return plan be submitted every six months. Staff also said the district will publish its schedule for community meetings and an e-blast with the timeline after administrative planning is completed.
No formal board action on masking was taken at the meeting; the board repeatedly stated that final decisions will follow consultation with public health partners and the school physician and will be communicated to families before the start of school.
