Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District staff and parents said the CSD’s universal masking policy needs to remain in effect. The concerns arose Nov. 10 after committee members discussed during an Oct. 15 meeting the possibility of lifting the policy and allowing parents and students to decide if they want to wear masks.

School Nurse Kate Schwehm said masking has a significant impact on the transmission of COVID-19 and with more cases of COVID-19 now than throughout the pandemic, getting rid of masking is ill-advised especially when the CSD has had no in-classroom transmission.

“That's not an accident. It’s because of the multi-layers of protection that we have in class and the teachers' diligence of reminding Johnny to put his mask up above his nose and to keep his mask on. It's one of our greatest tools that we have in the classroom … We've been able to stay open every day this year and hopefully every day for the rest of this year. The masks contribute to that. I hope it's not a discussion we're going to have repeatedly.”

Boothbay Region High School math teacher Ben Powell also supported continued masking. He said 80% of teachers are in favor of continuing the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations which include universal masking regardless of vaccination status. CDC doctors and scientists are professionals in their fields and have decades of experience surrounding infectious disease, Powell said.

“(Their) jobs are literally to keep us safe and healthy. I think we should listen to their advice along with the advice of our own school nurse … This pandemic is still very much happening no matter if we want it to or not. We must remain vigilant.”

The current contract for teachers through Boothbay Region Education Association says teachers are not to work in unsafe or hazardous conditions, Powell added. “We have teachers and students in our schools who are at high risk and cannot afford to get this virus. If the board decides to go against these CDC recommendations, the BREA will do everything within our power to keep our staff and students safe and healthy.”

Boothbay Region Elementary School third grade teacher and parent Lacey Phelps, local nurse Gwen Cole and CSD technology teacher Abby Manahan echoed Schwehm's and Powell's sentiments. BRES Principal Shawna Kurr said surveys among her teaching staff show 70% favor continued mask wearing. She also said though teachers continue to pull through daily and deliver quality education for in-school and remote students, they are burning out.

“'Forget the jeans day and the pizza day. Pay us more,’” said Kurr referencing a social media post. “I think the teachers would agree 'Pay us for the work we do.' They put so much work above and beyond and this year in particular.”

Kurr said at one point BRES had 107 students in quarantine and teachers were tasked with getting work to all of them, getting that work back and giving feedback as well as continuing professional development, learning new curricula, communicating with parents and preparing data reports. “They are doing it all, with a mask on every single day. It's really hard to be in the profession right now and then you add on more and more and more.”

Parent Sam Fuller had a different perspective: If COVID-19 is never going away, are the schools going to mask students indefinitely? Fuller said asking children to wear a mask eight or nine hours a day is too much and is most likely negatively affecting their immune systems. “Kids need to get colds, need to get sick to fight these things off. What's going to happen when we unmask kids? Then it's going to be a whole slew of kids sick.”

Fuller said he does not want any students to get sick, but cited the low death rate – up to 0.23% per CDC data – as an indicator that children have been resilient at overcoming the worst of the virus’s side effects. It is the new influenza except the flu kills more, he said.

“I'm not saying that it's good to have COVID spreading through our school system, but it's never going away. I don't think that masking a 5 or 6-year-old for eight or nine hours a day is healthy … I hear a lot of people saying, well the kids don't even know when they go out to recess. Well, that's because they're being programmed.”

Schwehm, attending via Zoom, tried to rebut, but was muted due to meeting rules preventing attendees from speaking directly to one another. Committee members said there is no intention to make a decision regarding masking, but the issue is being kept on meeting agendas for discussion if necessary. For the full exchange, listen to the meeting’s Zoom audio on the AOS 98 website.

Committee members unanimously approved home and visiting spectators for winter sports and extracurriculars, but were split on whether coaches, athletes and spectators should be masked. Member Ruth Macy’s motion for masking at all times unless interfering with activities was knocked down 4-2, Macy and Bruce MacDonald voting “yes” and Chair Stephanie Hawke, Vice Chair Peggy Splaine, John Bertolet and Abby Jones voting “no.”

Before leaving the meeting early, Macy suggested all athletes or student performers should mask except for those in active play or performance. Splaine made the motion, Hawke seconded it and the committee approved it unanimously.