Sheriff’s deputies were called to a local school board meeting after parents refused to follow the district’s mask mandate.
Center Grove schools’ regularly scheduled school board meeting Thursday night was delayed after parents who refused to wear masks in the administration building were asked to leave. Though two Center Grove police officers were at the meeting, they called the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office after the group of parents refused to exit the meeting room. Those not wearing masks eventually left after two sheriff’s deputies showed up, and the board continued with its meeting.
It was the second local school board meeting in a week during which parents refused to wear masks despite district-wide mandates. The Clark-Pleasant school board meeting Tuesday was adjourned after just two minutes because parents refused to wear masks.
Before the Center Grove meeting, about 20 parents refused to leave or wear masks and took turns airing their grievances about the mask mandate.
Parents said they thought the school board should have asked their permission before implementing the mask mandate. One person called Superintendent Rich Arkanoff a dictator for requiring those attending the school board meeting to wear masks. Another called the mask mandate a civil rights issue.
Arkanoff refused to start the meeting while people were there without masks on.
“The board will have the meeting if people wear masks,” Arkanoff said to the crowd. “Mask up or step outside.”
At the end of a video posted to social media, an attendee said they were leaving the meeting because more officers were showing up.
During the meeting, parent Kara Cecil said several people were denied requests to be added to the agenda.
“Several people requested to be on the agenda and they were denied,” Cecil said. “We have filed official complaints to the public access counselor.”
People are allowed to speak after signing up to discuss items on the agenda, but to be added to the agenda as a separate item, they have to request to be on the agenda at least four days in advance, according to district documents.
Though some parents did that, school board president Jack Russell is not required to approve their requests, Arkanoff said.
Cecil was also concerned about changes to public comment protocol.
The only proposed change, which will be voted on during a public meeting at 7:30 a.m. Monday, will be to require public comments to address action items on the school board’s agenda, rather than just anything, he said.
Nearby Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation this week decided it will conduct school board meetings virtually due to parent conduct, The (Columbus) Republic reported. Center Grove’s goal is to keep meetings in person, but if parents continue to violate mask mandates, moving them online would not be out of the question, Arkanoff said.
“The board really wants to have meetings in person, but if they require masks, they will not conduct a meeting unless everyone there wears a mask,” he said. “We’re aware of the virtual meeting option, but right now, the board doesn’t want to do that.”
