By Dewey Terrill
JC Post
Geary USD 475 Board of Education members will reconsider the district's face mask requirement as an action item at their March 7th meeting.
Board member Kristy Haden said she believes face masks allowed the district to remain open during the pandemic but masks and tests were always meant to be temporary. "And prior to the meeting I would ask that ( Superintendent ) Dr. Eggleston and his staff prepare new procedures and plans for having masks optional at city schools while being mandated on post, a plan to remove the test to stay program in all of our schools and also to advise us to come back on what we plan to do with our COVID staff going forward."
Following school board discussion Thursday evening, Eggleston and staff will bring proposals to the March 7th meeting.
Board member Dr. Jason Butler said he still stood with his recent comments from an earlier meeting two weeks ago. "That I am all in or all out. I don't think we can go back and forth on masks. I think we choose one path and we go down that path."
Board member Dr. Anwar Khoury observed that the governor has removed masking requirements for state agencies as of Friday, all the surrounding school districts including Manhattan have gone without masks. "We're always the leaders and now I feel like we're sitting behind. The numbers are going down, COVID, and it's not even talked about much in the media. I think we should just proceed and remove the masks like all the districts around us today."
Board President Ron Johnson noted that there is pressure from all sides on this topic. "So far we've been operating in what we feel is the best interests for all involved."
Board member Mark Hatcher wanted to make a motion to remove the mask requirement at the Thursday session but couldn't do so because the topic was not an action item on the agenda for that meeting. It will be addressed March 7th.
While there have been a few specific mission requirements Fort Riley Garrison Commander Col. Will McKannay noted Fort Riley has generally operated in line with CDC guidance during the pandemic. We're as eager as everyone else to see CDC guidance change in a more positive direction. I'd use that word. But we're going to go along with that." The garrison commander asked that if the Board makes any type of statement or policy that if they're in a different place with CDC guidance that it be in line with Fort Riley policies instead of having masks mandatory on Post.
The current policy for the district requires face masks to be worn in district facilities and school buses until April 4th when it was scheduled to be reevaluated.