Comments by Dr. Betsy Baker Superintendent, Spring Cove School District

Comments by Dr. Betsy Baker

Superintendent,

Spring Cove School District

Editor’s Note: Dr. Baker made these comments to the board at the Sept. 13 school board meeting. This text was provided to the Herald by the school district administration. The text was lightly edited for space and clarity.

First, thank you for your comments. We do hear and understand your concerns tonight, and those we have received on both sides of the issue. We know you are frustrated. We are frustrated, too. Overall, we had an amazingly smooth start to the school year (despite a flash flood). I have to say that I never expected we would have an early dismissal AND a two-hour delay in September.

The mask order, however, has proven to be a far bigger storm for our community. Since the mask order was announced, it has consumed significant time and energy of the [school] board, administration, faculty, and staff. Time and energy that we would much prefer be spent focused on the education of our students. It has caused much confusion, concern, fear, and division in our community. While we empathize with parents’ concerns, and we certainly understand and appreciate the various viewpoints in relation to this topic, our staff have an obligation to follow all federal, state, and local requirements.

At your seats, you have letters from principals Stephanie Thompson, Cheyenne Dickson, Breanne Venios, Jeffrey Guyer II, Marissa Cerully and Adam Macak, as well as from Data Manager Kim Moyer, School Psychologist Stacy Lantz, Special Education Director Harry Gregg and Business Manager Kathy Hazenstab. They each provided a unique letter, but each of their letters speak to the need to comply with the mask order, as intended, including requiring medical documentation for exceptions to the order. This is the same message which has been communicated by me, by the PA Department of Education, by our solicitors’ office, by various state agencies, and by many community members, as well.

I will elaborate more on this, but I want to first invite the administrative team to the podium, and Mrs. Stephanie Thompson to speak on their behalf.

[Editor’s Note: Stephanie Thompson made remarks at this point, then Dr. Baker resumed speaking.]

This summer, we enjoyed a period of low community spread. Hopefully, we will be able to return to that situation again soon, and the mask order will be lifted. In the meantime, though, if we violate a legal order, we are not serving as appropriate role models for our students, and we are placing our staff in the position of having to choose between following the directive of the state or the directive of board, which is a lose-lose position for them to be in. It is unethical and unfair to ask that of any of our employees.

We are not doctors, and we are not lawyers. We are educators. As much as we would love to return to teaching without any face coverings or social distancing or quarantined students, our community is currently in high transmission, and we DO have COVID cases in our schools and in our community. Under the current CDC guidelines, we are able to avoid quarantines when the infected individual and the close contact are both masked. Thus, from the perspective of an educator, masking, at this time, keeps our students in school and is, thus, the best educational option.

Our schools are entangled in the middle of a battle that is not our fight. I ask the community’s understanding of this situation, and their support for our board, administration, faculty, and staff as we continue to make every effort to keep our students’ safe, healthy, and in school. There is nothing for the board to vote on or to decide upon. The mask order was issued by the Acting Secretary of the Pa. Department of Health, and it is our obligation to follow and enforce that order, as directed; and, again, it is the best way to keep our students in school at this time.

COVID has certainly been a challenge for all of us, but I am thankful that MANY of the restrictions which we have experienced over the last year and half have been lifted; and I am most thankful that, to date, we have been able to keep all our staff and students safe and in school to the greatest extent possible. Many have said that SCSD led the way last year, but we also carefully followed all mandates, and we worked together as one team to support our staff and students. That’s all we are trying to do now. Let’s all keep working together and get through this.