At a passionate Prescott School District community listening session on April 15, a group of parents beseeched the school board to consider voting on formal policies and/or resolutions related to COVID-19 procedures and requirements as it felt the district administrator has yielded too much power during the pandemic.

The Prescott School Board passed three resolutions at its Wednesday, April 21 meeting related to this topic. The first two passed unanimously; the third passed 3-2 with Mike Matzek and Steve Sizemore dissenting.

•Compliance with Pierce County Public Health’s advisory to abide by indoor face-covering use and alignment with board-stated values of providing a safe work and learning environment for all staff and students.

•Support ongoing need of administrative guidelines around medical mask exemptions.

•Consider spring athletic participation parameters based on WIAA guidelines, tournament rules, Middle Border Conference recommendations; Centers for Disease Control, DHS and Pierce County Public Health guidance.

Two district teachers asked the district to keep enforcing mask use, during the visitor recognition period.

Malone Intermediate special education teacher Helen Stoeckel, who is also a district parent, pledged her support to the administration and for students wearing masks. With obvious emotion, she spoke about challenges she and other staff have faced.

“We have worked with students on and off campus and I have seen my fellow teachers and admins work with families to make sure the students are getting what they need to succeed, at times at the expense of their own families,” Stoeckel said. “During last week’s town hall meeting it was stated that there was not a mask mandate in Pierce County. As a teacher and a parent, I don’t care what it’s called. A decision was made that masks should be worn until June 4 to correspond with the last day of school and the reason that this was done was safety.”

Teachers came back to school to give students what they need; therefore, teachers should be given a safe working environment and support from administration, the board and community, Stoeckel said.

“Standing in front of you, I am wearing my mask that I teach in for eight hours a day and then sometimes wear longer for children and family events,” Stoeckel said. “Now some of you might see just a mask, but to me and many other teachers, we see it as a way to be with our students while keeping them safe. A way to do what we love and are passionate about while making sure our families are safe.”

Malone Elementary second grade teacher Becky Fortney became so choked up she could barely speak.

“As a teacher, I started the year hoping we were going to get to October, then Christmas, then look, we’re at April and I have no doubt I’m going to be here for the rest of the year,” Fortney said.

She explained why early-release Mondays have been beneficial to teachers, though she understands it’s been hard on families’ schedules, including her own.

“Due to our added workload with on and off campus students, and the changes that were made to our schedules that reduced our prep time, those early release days have given me the time back to collaborate with my colleagues, prep and plan for all the different levels of lessons I teach to meet the needs of all of my students,” Fortney said.

She applauded her children’s teachers, who have supported her children’s at-home learning.

“I’m so thankful it’s been as smooth as it’s been,” Fortney said. “I think all too often, Rick and the board spend a lot of time doing things and discussing and talking about things for us and I don’t always get here to say thank you.”

The board examined the three resolutions, beginning with continuing to require students and staff to wear face coverings indoors.

“I support putting it out there formally,” board member Tanya Holub said. “The goal is to keep kids in school and keeping staff and students safe.”

Sizemore said he would support the resolution if sensational language was removed and if the word “requirement” was changed to “advisory.” He said he thought the parents at the listening session said a few things that made sense, and the board should support keeping people safe while acknowledging there is not a mask law set in stone in Pierce County.

The board agreed to revisit the mask resolution in the future, once Pierce County’s advisory expires or is extended.

As for the mask medical exemption resolution, Administrator Dr. Rick Spicuzza said some medical issues may prohibit an individual from wearing a mask. Public schools are still obligated to follow the mitigation policies and must balance the needs of that individual, staff and other students. Staff have been making sure medical exemptions have indeed been granted since the beginning of the year, Spicuzza said.

“It’s an obligation for us to make sure that we provide our nursing staff and teachers on a need-to-know basis to make sure that if there are medical conditions, they’re aware of them so that we can take the necessary precautions,” Spicuzza said. “We do have the exemption requirements and an exemption form, which allows us to verify that it’s coming from a medical primary caregiver.”

It’s about setting up site-based management and working with the family, the teachers and the students based on the number of students in a classroom or in an activity, Spicuzza said.

“We also have to understand whether it’s needing certain types of breaks from the mask, just breathing breaks, if it’s anxiety, if it’s about teaching a student to endure a mask for longer periods of time,” he said.

The form asks parents to identify the doctor’s credentials and what he or she is requiring. This helps the district determine if there are different ways a student can engage.

“Legal advice is to make sure the students can access the instruction, but doesn’t mean they can access all spaces and activities,” Spicuzza said.

Holub said the exemption form seems similar to the American Disabilities Act 504, which asks parents to provide similar information in order to meet student needs.

Spicuzza said the form is a result of guidance and conversations with other Middle Border Conference school districts and CESA 11.

Athletic Director Matt Smith spoke in regards to spring sports participation in relation to COVID-19. He and other MBC athletic directors met April 7 to look at WIAA guidelines for participation, to bring back to district superintendents and nursing staff.

The WIAA recommends having softball and baseball players use their own bats, but Prescott is not going to follow that guideline, Smith said. Most players wear batting gloves anyway, he added.

Smith said Prescott athletes will adhere to other schools’ rules when playing in their facilities. For example, Eau Claire Regis will require

players to wear masks at all times, even on the baseball field.

“If you go to their house and they say take your shoes off, you take your shoes off, even if you wear them at home,” Smith said. “In the MBC, we’re not out of the weeds yet. We want to keep the season open.”

Spring sports are following many of the same guidelines from winter and fall sports, Smith said. Youth leagues may see a different set of rules. Everyone should be ready to be nimble, he added.

MBC athletic directors will meet again May 5, but right now, anything indoors, kids need to wear a mask. This includes bus rides and huddles in the dugout. Outdoors, players can take masks off when warming up and playing. Coaches must wear masks when unable to distance.

“I have not heard from anyone who says they will not mask up,” Smith said.

As for spectators, no schools are putting a limit on the number, but masks will be strongly encouraged. People should bring lawn chairs and spread out. If sitting in the bleachers or going to a concession stand, spectators should wear a mask, Smith said.

Before the board voted on the resolution, Matzek said he disagrees with wearing masks in a dugout.

“A quarantine is a quarantine, whether they have masks on or not (in the dugout),” Matzek said. “Kids handle COVID differently. At some point, we do have to look at getting back to normal. We cannot continue this.”

Matzek said he’s worried the county will come back with more restrictions after June 4 and wants to look at Prescott doing some things differently.

“It wasn’t an issue before, because we had to follow the state mask mandate,” Matzek said. “If there is any leeway, any wiggle room at all, my opinion on this board, we should look to loosen up some of the restrictions.

“I want to be really clear. I support teachers and administration 100 percent … We will continue to support this district and our superintendent. We’re sticking our necks out and making policies to back you.”

Pat Block said he respectfully disagreed.

“We’ve come too far,” he said. “Let’s assure to the best of our ability the health and safety of students and staff.”

The final vote was 3-2 in support of the resolution, with Sizemore and Matzek opposed.