Volusia School Board to look at making masks optional for next school year

Ormond Beach Observer
News

The Volusia County School Board will begin discussions to amend its face covering policy at its next meeting on Tuesday, April 27.

Board member Jamie Haynes brought the issue forward at the board's meeting on Tuesday, April 13. She suggested that, if the board wishes to make masks optional for the 2021-2022 school year, they should have the amended policy in place before July to allow parents ample time to decide the best learning option for their student.

“There are parents waiting out there right now to determine if they’re going to send their kids back to brick-and-mortar, because there are parents that chose to not send their kids back because we did put a mask policy in place," Haynes said. "At the same time, we may have some parents that will say, ‘I now may not want brick and mortar. I may want Volusia Online Learning because you’re going to make it optional.’”

Haynes said the district can put forth an emergency order for mandatory masks if the COVID-19 pandemic worsens during the next school year.

District joins vaping lawsuit

The Volusia County School Board also approved that the district join a mass action lawsuit against JUUL Labs and other vaping manufacturers to seek compensation for the effects of on-campus vaping, as well as the cost of installing vape detectors and education on the harms of vaping.

Attorney William Shinoff will be representing Volusia, as well as about 250 districts around the country in the litigation. He told the board that his firm, the Frantz Law Group of San Diego, California, have been litigating this case for 18 months.

Their argument is that JULL Labs and the other manufacturers marketed the product to youth without warning of dangers,

No general fund money will be used for this litigation.

A 2019 report from the Department of Health found nearly 30% of Volusia County children between the ages of 11 and 17 said they had tried vaping in 2018.

Kevin Pendley, the district's general counsel, said his only caveat with making masks optionals is that the district could be legally challenged under the new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which provides immunity to individuals, businesses, schools and churches from COVID-19 related claims if they show they made a "good faith effort" to comply with health standards. Making masks optional in schools would go against the guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control.

But Haynes argued that the district hasn't followed CDC guidelines for other issues, such as participation in sports.

“This is cherry-picking what we want to do versus what we don’t want to do," Haynes said.

School Board member Ruben Colon said that, while it feels like the community is headed in the right direction with vaccinations, he doesn't know if the decision he makes on April 27 will be the same as the one he makes in July.

“That’s a long time away in COVID time and at that point we would be choosing to steer away from the guidance," Colon said.

Still, he agreed that they should look at the policy.

Other suggestions by board members included demanding more cleanliness in schools and implementing an optional mask mandate for the July summer school sessions to see how many children wear masks, and if making masks optional is an effective measure.

Once policy language is agreed upon, the board could vote on an amended policy by late June.