Greensburg Salem eyes covid mask recommendation, not mandate

The Greensburg Salem School Board is considering a health plan that would recommend, but not mandate, masks for all who enter district school buildings.

At this week’s board discussion meeting, there was passionate debate about the proposed mask policy, including the choice of wording. The board is expected to take action Wednesday, Aug. 11 on the updated covid-19 pandemic health and safety plan for the upcoming school year.

Acting Superintendent Ken Bissell said the plan, as recommended by the district’s pandemic committee, means “if anyone wants to wear a mask, they should. If they don’t, they don’t have to.”

Masks would be recommended for school visitors when the covid-19 transmission level is high in Westmoreland County. By federal mandate, students must wear masks on school buses, Bissell added.

He noted the health and safety plan is “very elastic” and can be modified if pandemic conditions change.

School board members Robin Savage and Jeff Metrosky suggested use of the word “recommended” would lead parents to believe their children must wear masks at school.

Many members of the audience applauded Savage when she suggested the plan instead state that mask-wearing will be “optional.”

Bissell said use of the term “recommended” replicates language issued by state officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s meant to give the district added protection against any potential covid-related lawsuits.

District parent Carrie Hamley said she believes masks provide no benefit for children and can instead cause them problems, including interfering with their breathing. She urged the board to defy any mask mandates from higher governmental entities, which she considers “the end of body autonomy in this country.”

Parent Mary McNamara also spoke out against any mask requirement for students and asked why parents aren’t represented on the Greensburg Salem pandemic committee.

“Parents, not the government, should decide what’s right for their children,” she said.

Bissell said the committee includes the district’s facilities director, athletic director, administrators and school nurses, as well as representatives from food service and transportation providers.

Savage expressed concern about students being bullied because of their choice whether or not to wear a mask.

“We need to make sure that, whatever a child and a family decides, that we are supporting them and teaching our kids to be kind to one another in all aspects,” said Bissell.

The proposed district health plan also states that “3 feet of social distancing will be required at the greatest extent possible.”

Bissell said the district intends to provide students in-person instruction five days per week this fall, with optional online instruction available to those who want it.

Savage argued the health plan should provide for social workers to supplement the work of instructors and guide students in coping with any mental health issues they may face as a result of the pandemic and its impact.

Bissell said there is money available for the district to provide a school social worker.

Survey seeks input on federal funds

Greensburg Salem community members have until Friday to complete an online survey to express their preferences for how the district spends one-time federal dollars it is set to receive in a third allocation from the Elementary and Secondary School Education Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER).

The survey is available on the district website, greensburgsalem.org.

As of Wednesday, Bissell said, there were 250 responses to the survey, with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning improvements at district buildings topping the list of suggestions.

He said district administrators are recommending spending $4 million on HVAC upgrades, about $2 million to address the impact of lost instructional time during the pandemic and $1.1 million to improve access to instruction through technology and infrastructure.

The ESSER funds are to be expended over three years, with at least 20% used to address student learning loss.