Parents continue voicing frustrations over masks in Corbin Schools

The Corbin Board of Education voted at a special called meeting Friday to relax the COVID–19 mask mandate, but a group of parents were on hand to continue to voice their frustrations that the masking decision is not in their hands.

The board had on the agenda, “COVID protocols,” which it had said at its meeting on Oct. 1 that it would review at its meetings going forward to determine whether the mask mandates could be relaxed.

At Friday’s meeting, the board voted to permit students to take off their masks while seated at their own desks.

However, students would still be required to wear masks when working in small groups, changing classes or moving about the classroom and on the bus.

Melinda Fox, who previously told the board about the breakout on her son’s face and anxiety attacks he has begun to suffer because of the mask he is required to wear, was among the parents to address the board Friday.

“I’m still not understanding the logic of them wearing the mask at all,” Fox told the board noting that if the purpose is contain the spread of COVID–19, the virus is still in the air when the students are sitting at their desks.

“I still think it stands from my belief, that it should be the parents decision whether we want our children to wear masks anywhere,” Fox said.

“I’m not sure why you are not allowing the parents to make the decisions for their children,” Fox said.

Fox added that while it makes sense to have at-risk individuals, such as the elderly and those with health conditions, wear masks, school age children are among the least effected groups.

According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Public Health, 100,000 Kentucky children between the ages of 10 and 19 have contracted COVID–19, while 49,400 children ages zero to nine have contracted it out of 736,724 reported cases.

Of the 9,640 COVID–19 related deaths in Kentucky, four have involved children between the ages of 10 and 19

“At some point, logic and science have to meet in the middle,” Fox said.

Fox asked the board why they would not put the decision back in the hands of the parents/guardians?

“Because we have a statutory obligation under the law to provide for a safe and healthy environment and as much as possible in-person learning is our goal. That is the only reason,” said Board Chair Kim Croley.

Fox had said at the previous meeting that she had no issue with any parent that wanted to send their child to school with a mask, teacher or staff member that wanted to wear a mask, but she and other parents should be able to make the decision for their own children.

“When you tell someone that their child cannot attend school in person and receive a free and appropriate in-person education, it is a form of punishment. To me, that is a form of coercion,” Fox said.