For a little while, Volusia County residents who respect science and fear the impacts of COVID-19 had something to be proud of. Their elected School Board had chosen a tough but courageous path, requiring students to wear masks to protect themselves, their fellow students, their teachers and their families from the spread of coronavirus.
School Board members knew they’d get pushback — and that’s putting it mildly. For months, the Volusia County board, and others throughout the region, have watched anti-vax, anti-mask parents quote pseudo-science, spout made-up statistics and utter veiled threats. These parents have cried. They’ve screamed. They’ve behaved so badly that meetings had to stop while disruptive parents (and out-of-towners who seem to caravan around the state in search of drama) were removed.
Masks on:Masks mandatory for Volusia County students to be enforced Sept. 13, despite protests
The protests:Anti-mask protesters rally at Volusia School Board meeting
The board members knew this. They chose to implement the mandate anyway, because it was the right thing to do. They believed the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Eradication when it recommended “universal indoor masking” in schools as the best protection against a killer disease. They paid attention when they were told about the rising numbers of local children infected and sometimes hospitalized with COVID. And they prioritized the health and welfare of their teachers and other staff.
And then, two weeks later, they caved.
Technically, the mask mandate still stands. But parents can opt their kids out of the requirement by visiting the parent portal on the School Board’s website. Or filling in a form. Or writing a note. Or whatever.
Masks relaxed:Volusia School Board walks back mask mandate, goes to parent opt-out policy
Let’s get real about the parents who are going to be writing these opt-out notes. Obviously, every family is different. But as a group, the COVID deniers are probably less likely to wear masks in public, or insist that their children wear them. They’re less likely to take other precautions such as avoiding large gatherings or practicing social distancing. We suspect they’ll be less forthcoming when their children are exposed to COVID-positive people outside of school, knowing that such an admission means an automatic five-day quarantine. We fear they’ll be more likely to send their children to school knowing that they are showing symptoms of illness
And they’re making all these decisions not just for their own children, but for the children of more responsible parents who have sacrificed much to keep their children safe.
Board Chair Linda Cuthbert was the swing vote here, and it’s a vote we suspect will haunt her for a long time. She cited confrontations between parents and school personnel, including one incident where police were called to Creekside Middle School. “Our children should not be used as pawns to prove a political point, no matter what that point is,” she said.
Yet that’s exactly what she’s allowing anti-vax parents to do.
Cuthbert’s been an educational leader in this community for a long time, and we generally appreciate her earnest desire to do what’s best for students.This time, however, she let them down.
The two remaining board members who supported protecting students tried their best. Board member Carl Persis pleaded to keep the mandate intact in elementary school — to protect students who are too young to be vaccinated. And Ruben Colon read off a long list of the nation’s most prestigious and influential medical authorities who support masking and other protections. But both men knew it didn’t matter. With Cuthbert switching sides, the discussion was over.
We understand Cuthbert's unhappiness. Butby surrendering to the vocally ignorant minority, she is only reinforcing their behavior. Even as they were in the process of winning, they couldn’t behave themselves. Several people shouted insults at Cuthbert as she was explaining why she was giving in to their bullying, and jeered as Colon and Persis spoke.
This anti-science, anti-protection contingent will never be satisfied, because their demands are not governed by reality. This surrender is likely to trigger more absurd, conspiracy-driven aggression. And they, unlike Cuthbert, will have no compunction about thrusting their children, and their classmates, onto the front lines.
That is something School Board members will have to live with — along with the knowledge that, every time new COVID cases are reported in Volusia schools, some of them could have been prevented. Volusia students needed courage. They got capitulation. And they will suffer for it.
