Thread by @APDillon_

K-12 Masks updates to follow as school board meetings kicking off this afternoon & this evening:
Alamance-Burlington
Alexander
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Clinton City
Lenoir
Madison
Wake
Watauga
Winston-Salem/Forsyth
#nced

Alamance Burlington school board votes 6-1 to go mask optional effective immediately.
#nced #ncpol

Wake County board now meeting; board attorney is dragging this out with a long list of where face coverings are still required "for clarity for the public."

Motion being discussed would make masks optional effective immediately for sports, but Mar 7 for all students, staff and visitors.

Heagarty claims pushing mask optional for all to March 7 is so they can accommodate the changes and families can adapt, yet he says sports are effective immediately and extracurricular would happen over the weekend.
#wcpss

Heagarty ties mask optional for all to NCDHHS's toolkit changes being rolled out on March 7.
#wcpss

Board member Jim Martin says Heagarty's list of agencies recommending dropping masks is not accurate. He's arguing about this being a political decision and not "appropriate."

#wcpss

Martin now launching an attack on Gov. Roy Cooper's remarks about unmasking K12 kids.
Calls it insulting.
#wcpss

All of Martin's arguments are based on the assumption masks work, which the CDC has already started to shed doubt on.
Martin says a "fifth wave is coming," and he's getting rather agitated.
#wcpss

Martin is still ranting about "waves": Why are we paying attention to dates and not metrics?

#wcpss

Martin is practically yelling now, says his questions should go to the Supt, not Heagarty who made the motions; says the vulnerable need to be considered.
#wcpss

Supt. Moore tells Martin vulnerable persons would be covered by processes already in place for them.
Martin responds those processes are inadequate and by comparing COVID to "secondary smoke."

Martin: I am gonna wear my mask. For me and for the vulnerable. We need to wear masks. We need to wear them for vulnerable employees and students.

#wcpss

Member Roxie Cash makes a motion to amend the motion by making masks optional immediate for sports/extracurriculars and then effective for everyone by Feb. 28. She cites the county doing it Feb. 25, we've let principals know, the toolkit change is coming.

Cash wants it clarified that masks will be optional and that it is not just a recommendation that individual schools to go mask optional.
Supt. Moore said she's talked to principals about this.
It will be the choice of the student/family, not the school.

Member Karen Carter says she would be fine with going mask optional effective immediately for all because the district already communicated last week that this was coming.
#wcpss

Member Christine Kushner sides with original language and dates; says families need more time to get vaccinated.
#wcpss

Kushner says we have had a "display of whimpering behavior in the community in this board room," and then makes an unevidenced claim an adult yelled at a kid in a mask. #wcpss

Kushner now pushing for more school psychologists and nurses as well as "advocating against gun violence" and proper "gun storage." Says parents who want kids unmasked should work with them on that... then throws in a push for Leandro $$.
#wcpss

Kushner says she will not support Cash's amendment.
Martin says there should be no bullying one way or the other on masks. "It's unacceptable."
Note: Martin has historically been 'masks on at all times' and Kushner literally just bullied "whimpering" parents.

Member Monika Hostler says not everyone knows they are meeting today on masks or watches their meetings.
Says we need more time; shouldn't be immediate.

Note: The district sent out emails and texts to all parents last week. I personally got a call, text and an email.
#wcpss

I feel like Jack Bauer needs to make an appearance if this #wcpss board meeting rolls beyond an hour without a vote.

Cash's amendment motion to make masks optional for all Feb 28 fails.

#wcpss

Carter masks a motion to amend, sports/extracurricular eff. immediately and all others eff. Mar 1.
Discussion ensuing as we head into this meeting now being an hour long.
#wcpss

Carter's amendment motion fails.
The board returns to the original motion made by Heagarty, which he is also now proposing an amendment to.

Lost yet, folks?
#wcpss

Carter makes a new amendment motion to make masks optional for all sports/curricular effectively immediately.
#wcpss

Carter's motion gets voted on -- Kushner, Scott, Martin vote no so the motion fails.
Original motion now being amended, the final motion will be:
Sports immediately, Extracurricular Feb. 25 at 5 pm (corrected), all staff/students/visitors March 7.
#wcpss

Carter wants it known she thinks extracurriculars should be the same as sports, but she supports the update to the 25th for those activities.
#wcpss

The amending motion passes and now the original motion is amended; masks will be recommended but not required accordingly:
Sports immediately, Extracurricular Feb. 25 at 5 pm (corrected to conform with county dropping its mandate), all staff/students/visitors March 7.

Heather Scott reiterates Kushner's unbacked claim adults have been yelling at masked children on school property.
She's been talking for about 9 minutes now, holding up the final vote. #wcpss

Carter asks Supt. Moore what would be a good time frame other than the 13 days now on the schedule for everyone to be mask optional.
Moore says she won't offer an opinion.
#wcpss

Cash now questioning masking on "public transportation," and we are now asking bus drivers to enforce masking on buses when kids have been unmasked all day.
#wcpss

Board attorney says federal law takes priority and it applies to school buses. Says they are trying to get more info from CDC & pending lawsuit against that CDC order.
#wcpss

The board attorney is treating the CDC order in his comments as federal law. I am told by several legal experts that it is an order, not a law - hence the lawsuit the board attorney mentioned.
#wcpss

Hostler now asks if we have a "mask runway" & admits she will bring masks back if they have to. Asks what the "trigger" will be for the board to remask kids.

This line of discussion is making the case for @NCHouseSpeaker's Free the Smile Act to be signed by the governor. #wcpss

Point of note: The legislation passed last year whereby boards have to have a mask policy and then revisit it monthly expires at the end of the 2021-22 school year.
#wcpss

The #wcpss board meeting on masks is about to hit an hour and a half without a vote on the main motion.

The #WCPSS board finally votes for mask optional for
Sports immediately, Extracurricular Feb. 25 at 5 pm (corrected), all staff/students/visitors March 7.

Jim Martin is the lone no vote.

Turning to Alexander County Schools meeting, the board votes masks optional effective 2/23 for all students, staff & visitors.
Vote was unanimous.
Meeting adjourned in 10 minutes 37 seconds versus Wake County's hour and a half.

#nced #ncpol

Watauga school board votes 5-0 for masks optional beginning Feb. 28.
#nced #ncpol

Lenoir School board voted masks optional for all students, staff, and visitors effective immediately.
The vote was unanimous after 9:34 minutes.
Masks still required on buses due to CDC order.
Lenoir's Sen. @JamesPerryNC was in attendance.

#nced #ncpol

Mask optional total update so far: 80
Buncombe is meeting right now.

On deck:
Charlotte Mecklenburg and Martin County meet at 6pm.
Winston-Salem Forsyth meets at 6:30
Orange & Orange BOCC meet at 7
Chapel Hill Carborro meets at 7​
#nced #ncpol