Parents united at NGPS meeting to bring forward concerns over masking

A group of parents with children attending Northern Gateway Public Schools (NGPS) took to the sidewalk in front of the division office on September 14 to speak against mask mandates. Though mandates have changed since their protest, parents at the time were upset that the school board chose to implement masking in common areas even though the province hadn’t made it mandatory.

A smaller group of parents, around a dozen, remained outside with signage, while an even bigger group was inside for the trustee meeting that took place that morning. “We are parents from different corners of the district coming together to support this cause. We realize you have been put in a terrible position by the provincial government and that no matter what you choose, you aren’t going to please everyone,” spoke a mom.

Following multiple presentations where parents shared the issues their children face from masking, including anxiety, skin rashes, regular headaches and many more ailments, the trustees digested the information before discussing the issue. Trustee Gerry Steinke (Valleyview) spoke first, posing a question to Administration. “For the past 20 months, our decision has followed every mandate issued by the provincial government and administered by AHS. What medical expertise does Northern Gateway have that can supersede the conclusion of our provincial medical authorities who clearly state that masking is not necessary in K-12 schools?”

Superintendent Kevin Bird responded. “There’s been a lot made of the school plan going into this year and specifically that in that plan, the medical health officer did indicate that masking wasn’t necessary at that time. In that plan, there is a context statement, and, like all of this stuff, the context is the real key piece. (It said) we are in recovery mode. So, we started the school year with a couple of measures in place. After that start, it became apparent fairly quickly that we weren’t in recovery mode. The province shifted their strategy substantially. They went from here to here (motioning from his right hand to his left hand, separated).”

He said he decided to follow the guidance that the province had given everybody in the province, which was that indoor spaces needed masking, and he gave shopping as an example. Superintendent Bird then said that the biggest hurdle to keeping schools open is lack of staff and that if too many staff got sick at the same time, they would reach a point where they would need to switch to online learning. “When the province shifted, we turned that volume nob up a bit and turned it to common masking.”

He stated that he agreed with the many risks of masking that were presented to them. “We have to be really conscious of the effects of masking. I don’t enjoy wearing masks myself. Everything that we have talked about with non-verbal communication is absolutely true. It’s so important, especially when working with students who struggle with communication, as I’ve worked with throughout my career. Something said with a smile can mean something completely different than the exact same word and exact same tone said without it.”

He said that he sees common area masking as a precautionary defence measure. “I will be more than happy down the road to be the first one to turn that dial switch back when it is warranted.” Speaking to K-3 grades, Bird acknowledged the difficulty. “It is certainly much harder for the younger students to maintain clean masks and all those things that have been discussed.” He also noted that the K-12 mandate for masking on buses is “particularly problematic” because of the more extended bus rides. He added that it isn’t “within our ability to make changes” on buses.

Trustee Steinke spoke following the Superintendent’s comments. He said that he didn’t feel he got a clear answer to his question. “Our Superintendent is making an assumption that masks are going to be the one level of defence we have to ensure the safety of staff and keep staff in place. If it came to the point where across this province we had some outbreak in schools and staff were ill, the province would need to act, and I believe they would. I don’t think we can base this whole discussion on masking on that kind of a thing because I think we’ve heard a much greater complexity today of problems. I think a lot of those are overwhelmingly saying maybe we shouldn’t have gone that way.”

Trustee Sherry Jeffreys (Darwell, Sangudo, Mayerthorpe) spoke on her concerns. “As trustees, we are not healthcare experts or medical experts, but in the absence of the government’s leadership, we’ve been given this decision to make. Just the prospect of this discussion by our board has provoked a strong response from our public. In my two terms as trustee, I’ve never seen such an outcry from parents over a single issue. The vast majority of the submissions we received were against the mandating of masks in schools, and today we hear a litany of reasons why not to mandate masks ranging from bloody noses, headaches, the pain they cause children’s ears, to their use causing panic attacks or anxiety. Parents are worried that the masks can cause long-term health issues and also the sanitary concerns with masking itself.” 

She said that without having access to the medical data Dr. Hinshaw has in making masking decisions, it felt difficult to implement any further measures beyond what the province had already implemented. “There is no data to hang our hat on to say that a mask mandate is the right thing to do,” she concluded.

Board Chair Linda Wigton brought up the letters parents submitted before the meeting, which included a handful in support of masks. Trustee Steinke said he was surprised to see a common theme at the start of each letter. “The writers knew that there was going to be presentations today, all opposing masks. I had been asking all weekend long for the list of presenters to see if there were going to be presenters for or against. We got that late yesterday. Yet, the writers of those letters knew that there would only be presenters presenting stuff against it. I don’t know how they got that information, and that does concern me a little bit.”

He spoke of the division happening, saying that communities and schools are “divided and hurting” and blamed “weak-willed” provincial leadership. “They’ve done this to our people in our community. They’ve done this to our students, yet this is the reality that the eight of us face around this table.”

Ahead of making a motion to have NGPS not require mask-wearing in schools, in alignment with provincial medical advice, Trustee Steinke posed one final question. “How can we believe that masking kids in the hallway, and then teachers interacting with them and getting masks on and masks off, is truly a safe measure in some way?” His motion did not receive enough support to pass, leaving children masked in common spaces.