Bethel Park School Board requiring masks for 1st semester

Bethel Park School District officials voted on Aug. 23 to require masks for everyone through the first semester when classes began Aug. 24.

The board voted 7-2 with Connie Ruhl and Russ Spicuzza dissenting.

Spicuzza was the only one on stage not wearing a mask during the whole meeting.

Ruhl took hers down prior to the vote and through the rest of the meeting.

Board president Pam Dobos said they not only considered student safety when making their vote, but mandated quarantines for the maskless should they be in close contact with someone with covid.

“If everyone’s masked, the only person who has to quarantine is the person who has covid,” she said.

Assistant Superintendent Zeb Jansante said 82 staffers and 185 students tested positive for covid last year, and 1,400 students were quarantined.

“We’re trying to not relive last year,” board member Vince Scalzo said.

Ruhl and Spicuzza cited inconsistencies with covid safety recommendations as part of their reasons to go against the mask mandates.

“Allegheny County’s moved the goalposts on us on several occasions,” Spicuzza said.

Goalposts included safety precautions and numbers defining high and moderate covid-19 transmission levels.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines a “high” covid-19 transmission level as more than 100 cases per 100,000 people or a 10% positivity rate in a particular county over seven days. Allegheny County’s positivity was just over 5% earlier in August.

“Last year, it was a 10% number now it’s a 5% number (for moderate transmission),” Spicuzza said. “Why did they do that? We would technically be in the moderate range (for transmission) if we were using the same numbers we did last year.”

Both Spicuzza and Ruhl also thought parents should have a choice whether their children wear masks.

“What did the majority of the people who spoke tonight say? They wanted a choice,” Spicuzza said. “You listen to your constituents. You weigh your options. You do your research and you make your decision.”

Board members did hear from a lot of constituents as the action took place after about two and a half hours of public comment with parents on both sides of the issue taking turns at the microphones with applause breaks in between.

Parent Chris Kallner said masks should be mandated until more vaccinations are available to students.

Meanwhile, parent Nathan Graft likened masks mandates to bondage mentioned in the book of Hebrews in the Bible.

“Have we put ourselves in bondage through the fear of death?” Graft asked. “I think we have, unnecessarily.”

Others against the mandate also cited the Bible and their faith as to why they did not wear masks.

Some of them jumped out of their seats in excitement when Ruhl talked about seeing students out shopping and at restaurants without masks.

There was at least double the number of people in the audience without masks on than those who were wearing them.

Dobos gave several warnings about the celebrations and other interruptions stating they take away from the board’s ability to hear the speakers.

A woman was escorted by police after several outbursts while another called board members “Nazis” on her way out.

Others who spoke against mask-wearing encouraged people to take their children out of schools.

A second round of public comment continued after the board vote with those in favor of masks thanking the board for their actions and others saying the board is taking away parental choice and questioning if vaccinations will become mandated as well.

“I’m a public education guy,” parent Brendan McCarthy said through his mask. “My daughter was enrolled in Catholic school until covid. I just want to thank you for letting me send my daughter to public education.”

Graft called the CDC corrupt and expressed disappointment with the board for not seeing the bigger picture.

“You guys need to get yourselves out of this small picture of, ‘OK. We’re just concerned about quarantine’ and see what’s happening in this country,” Graft said. “It happens at the school board level. You guys need to stand up for us against all this corruption. You can’t just look at the small picture. You have to start pushing back.”

Resident Lisa Slawinski said she obtained more than 200 signatures prior to the meeting from people who wish to seek legal action if the board approved a mask mandate.

“You have no idea what’s going on with all the children out here,” Slawinski said. “There’s a lot of kids that cannot wear masks. Forcing them to is almost akin to child abuse. You really have to think about what you’re doing to these kids. You should be giving them a choice.

“The science has been proven that masks is not preventing the spread (of covid). We would be done with this after a year and a half now if masks worked. Everybody’s been complying for this long. Now here we are with round two. We’re going to end up with round three. We’re going to end up with round four as long as you keep complying.”

Video of the 3+ hour meeting is available on the district’s YouTube page.

It is next to the more than 4-hour video of the Aug. 17 meeting in which the board heard from constituents for its majority before failing to amend their health and safety plan, which previously had masks optional.