Center Grove schools does not have a specific threshold for when students might be required to wear masks, officials said.
Center Grove school officials are tracking COVID-19 cases at its nine schools via a dashboard on its website. None of the schools have had more than 2% of students test positive for COVID-19 since the start of school Aug. 6, though Pleasant Grove Elementary School came close, with 12 cases last week, just one short of that threshold.
The Johnson County Health Department recommended schools with more than 2% of students testing positive for COVID-19 mandate masks. But so far, just one of the county’s six public school districts said it will follow the health department’s guidance, issued Monday.
Parents decrying the possibility of a mask mandate at Center Grove schools spoke up during the district’s regularly scheduled school board meeting Thursday. It was a much calmer scene than ones that played out at Clark-Pleasant and Greenwood school board meetings earlier in the week.
The risk of sending students to school without a mask mandate is minuscule, and children are more likely to die from diarrhea, said Bill Collins, a parent.
Decisions about whether a child should wear a mask should be left to parents. Parents — especially those who have immunocompromised children — make decisions all the time about what’s best for their children, said Collins, who shared a firsthand experience with the board.
“We never shut the city down. We never shut the world down. We just asked when you came into our home, you washed your hands and we bleached before and after,” Collins said. “We made the decision about what’s best for our children. Don’t hold anyone else to a different standard.”
Keeping masks optional is an acceptable risk, said Kelli Sponsel, a Center Grove parent.
“Children not wearing masks is not selfish, it’s not anti-science, but it’s because they believe in life, there’s acceptable risk. I lost two friends to COVID, but healthy children recover incredibly well from this virus,” Sponsel said.
Multiple Center Grove school board members said they read all the emails they received and are receptive to people’s concerns. It is important board members represent the interests of the community, said Joe Hubbard, a school board member.
“I realize my role on the board is to represent the community,” Hubbard said. “That’s why we do read your emails, we do want to represent you. We want the best for all kids here. I will fight for you guys and the best interests of our community.”
Nobody spoke in favor of a mask mandate during the meeting.
Clark-Pleasant schools this week required all students and staff at Break-O-Day Elementary School and Clark-Pleasant Middle School to wear masks after more than 2% of students at both schools had to quarantine due to testing positive for COVID-19. Neither school will return to a mask optional policy until less than 1% of the student body is out due to a positive test.
Greenwood schools this week required students and staff at all schools to wear masks after Johnson County moved back to “orange,” according to the state’s color-coded metrics. “Orange” is the second-highest risk category based on community spread and positivity rate.
The rolling average of daily positive cases in the county was 92 on Friday, more than 30 times the three a day average in early July. The county’s positivity rate is at 10.6%, the highest it has been since January.
