Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Complaints range from mask mandates to gender equity procedures
DAVENPORT – 15 community members consisting mostly of district parents used the public comment section of the school board’s Aug. 16 meeting to voice their concerns and complaints with school mask mandates, a procedure that would allow students to use the bathroom corresponding to the gender they identify with and vaccination requirements that may be looming for K-12 school teachers and staff.
The 90-minute public comment period showed large opposition to last week’s announcement from state superintendent Chris Reykdal that masks would be required inside all K-12 schools for all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.
Shawn Foster was the first parent to speak up during the public comment section, voicing his opposition to the mask mandate. He also pressed the board on their willingness to stand up and defy the state’s mandate.
Superintendent Jim Kowalkowski later revealed that Reykdal threatened to withhold funding from any district that defied the mandate, which was verified through a letter sent that Kowalkowski shared with the board and audience. Davenport receives about 75% of its funding from the state.
Richard Breedlove also voiced opposition and was among several parents who told the district and board they were stuck between a rock and a hard place with the threat from the state to withhold funding, but also said the district needs to look into joining together with other districts and standing up to the mandate.
Other parents shared their disagreement with the effectiveness of masks to prevent COVID-19. Bethany Orvis asked if students and parents could sign a waiver releasing the school, the board or staff from any liability for allowing a student to go maskless.
That request wasn’t considered by the board.
Scientists and health professionals have remained consistent throughout the pandemic in saying a maskless person is at higher risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others, not just contracting the virus themselves...even if the person they transmitted the virus to is wearing a mask.
However, the state is merely providing a cloth mask requirement, which generally is less effective (though not completely ineffective) than surgical or medical N95 masks, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Board chair Heather Panke urged the audience, filled with members who remained civil and understanding but visibly frustrated, to not just air their complaints concerning masks and vaccines with the board.
“Take your complaints higher. Go to the state, and use your voices at a higher level than here,” Panke said, noting the board is always willing to hear complaints from parents, but sometimes can’t take the action parents request.
Breedlove brought up a different issue entirely. His concern lay with Policy 3211, which the board initially passed during its consent agenda. The policy, which centers around gender inclusivity, would allow a student to use a bathroom or locker room assigned to the gender they identify with...not the gender they were biologically born with.
“If this goes through, I will not hesitate to pull my three children out of the district,” Breedlove said to applause from the audience.
Other parents backed Breedlove in clear opposition to the procedure.
Kowalkowski said the state requires the district to have a policy in place that pledges a commitment to be gender-inclusive and help students struggling with their gender identity, but added that the board could rescind its passing of the procedures involving bathrooms and locker rooms. He later told The Times that after speaking to the district’s attorney, the district currently only needs a policy in place.
The board responded in favor to the complaints from the audience and later made this move, keeping a policy in place that pledges gender inclusivity while waiting to make a decision on what to do about students struggling with their gender and where they can use the bathroom and locker rooms.
Most audience members agreed that the board was already doing all they could but are trapped by the state into following laws.
One parent, however, used the time as a soapbox to claim the state wants to indoctrinate all children and accused Kowalkowski of hiding behind the district’s attorney in his desire to follow the law and maintain the school’s funding. He repeated this several times, often interrupting other speaking parents to amusement and annoyance from other people present.
Most parents left the meeting with appreciation for the school board’s efforts and hopeful that the board will continue to have their children’s best interests in mind while navigating the narrow road of keeping school open while abiding by state mandates.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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