Education

Parents sharply divided on Johnston County Schools latest mask mandate

Parents of Johnston County public school students are sharply divided on the school board's latest decision to make students wear masks in the classroom. One group of parents are relieved that the school board decided to make children's safety a priority. Another group of parents see this latest decision as a hindrance to student's education.

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By
Adam Owens
, WRAL anchor/reporter; Maggie Brown, WRAL multiplatform producer
CLAYTON, N.C. — Parents of Johnston County public school students are sharply divided on the school board's latest decision to make students wear masks in the classroom. One group of parents are relieved that the school board decided to prioritize protecting children from the coronavirus. But another group of parents see this latest decision as a hindrance to students' education, because the chance of a child dying from COVID-19 is low.
"We need to do what we can to ensure this school year is better for our children than the last school year was," said parent Caroline Miklosovic, who was protesting against the mandate at Clayton Community Park.
Initially, the Johnston County School Board voted in July that parents will have the final say on whether or not their child wears a mask indoors. However, as coronavirus cases rapidly increased among children, the board decided in a tight vote to require students to wear masks.
“Masks have shown to cut down on the transmission, there’s no question about that, that’s data, that’s science," said Board member Kay Carroll on Tuesday. "Anything else is just taking a stance.”
Parents like Miklosovic, who thought they won, said they now feel blindsided, and are working to pressure the school board to reverse its vote again. Because the board went back on its initial vote, parents have hope board members could change their minds again.
The decision to mandate masks, while recommended by the state, is ultimately left up to each elected school board. The majority of districts in the WRAL viewing area have decided to mandate masks upon recommendation from health officials.
There's no question that the debate on whether or not to make students wear masks in school has become politicized. The Wake County Republican Party circulated a petition that encouraged parents to fight against mask mandates and vaccinations.

The Carolina Teachers Alliance, a right-leaning advocacy group that spearheaded a petition drive ahead of the mask vote, says on its petition page that it's raising money to file suit against Wake County board members "OVER THEIR TYRANICAL MANDATES THAT HARM CHILDREN."

The Wake GOP is also considering a censure for two Republican school board members who voted last week to require masks in county schools.
As the school year nears, more children are contracting coronavirus. In the first week of August, nearly 20% of all COVID-19 cases were among children. The majority of those children are ages 5 to 14, according to state data.

Year-round schools provide education officials a glimpse into what the upcoming school year would look like. Already this month there have been 35 people in Johnston County Schools that have tested positive for COVID-19. Another 36 had to quarantine, according to data from the district.

Health officials urge children to get vaccinated if they are old enough. If not, local health officials say children need to wear masks.

Parents who support the board's most recent decision fear the district could switch back to not requiring masks if pressured. Bill Crocker, who attended a gathering at East Clayton Park, said the school board is allowing young children to stay in the classroom by instituting a mask mandate.

“For the mental health of our kids, the best place for them to be is in the classroom," Crocker said. "It is just that we believe that the best way to ensure that for the entire school year is for them to be wearing a mask.”

Four of the seven school board members agree with Crocker.

Carroll said on Tuesday that the longer students remain unmasked, the more coronavirus will mutate and intensify. To avoid another school shutdown, he said, masks would need to be required for all students.

The first day of school for Johnston County students is on Aug. 23.

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