OSWEGO – The Oswego City School District Board of Education met on the evening of March 1, 2022, when it discussed face masks in the school district.
Due to the ongoing boiler issues that have required high school students to move to a remote learning plan, the meeting was held at Leighton Elementary School. The meeting began with a moment of silence in honor of the people of Ukraine.
Two members of the public addressed the board, both expressing the thoughts that the district should have announced the relaxation of mask rules sooner. Both speakers admonished the board for being the last district in Oswego County to announce a change to the mask policy.
Nate Emmons, a member of the Oswego County Legislature, asked the board to accept the superintendent’s proposal to allow parents to decide whether or not their children wear masks in school.
“Every other district up to this point has decided not to enforce the mask mandate,” Emmons said.
To begin the Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Mathis Calvin III congratulated the OHS Interact Club for completing a project that resulted in almost two dozen blankets being donated to the Oswego Hospital Maternity Center.
Calvin then noted that St. Paul’s Church will not be available as a voting site this year, but District 2 wards 2, 4, and 6 will vote at the Crisafulli Ice Rink.
Addressing the recent closure of the Oswego High School, Calvin announced that the boiler repair work would continue, and that high school students would continue to learn remotely until at least Thursday, March 3.
“We do want them back in school as soon as possible,” Calvin said.
Calvin then introduced Dr. Robert Morgan of Oswego Health to the board. Calvin stated that he had been consulting with Morgan regarding Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent announcement that the state of New York would no longer enforce a mask mandate in schools. Calvin recommended to the board, based on his discussions with Morgan and county health officials, that mask wearing for students become optional, based on parental guidance.
“My recommendation is that we allow parental choice for community members, and that we continue with mitigating strategies,” Calvin said.
Morgan lamented the fact that the governor has “passed the buck” to the local school districts with regard to masking rules, and that much of the data and many recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control have been contradictory. Morgan noted the importance of making sure that those that choose to wear a mask do not be harassed for doing so. Morgan also noted that a rise in the infection rate might require a reconsideration of the mask removal.
The board then engaged in a discussion, with several members voicing concern regarding the effect of unmasking students on the greater Oswego community. The fact that the only hospital in Oswego County is located in the City of Oswego was a point of concern.
Board member Sean Onmacht stated that he felt moving forward with a relaxation of the masking rules was best for the community.
“Now is the time for us to follow suit, and at the very least , give the students and the parents their own personal options,” Onmacht said.
Board member Dr. Lisa Glidden voiced concern regarding the students’ return from winter break, stating that travel during school breaks usually results in a rise in the infection rate. Glidden also shared her concern that the area’s infection rate is still regarded as being relatively high.
“Let’s have a set data point that fosters our decision, not just that people are tired of wearing masks, “ Glidden said.
Board member Pamela Dowd reminded the board that students are unmasked in many other aspects of life, and that it may be unrealistic to think that wearing masks in school will make a large difference in the infection rate.
“I totally agree with the recommendation of Dr. Calvin to make it a parental choice,” Dowd said.
Board member Tom Ciappa said that he thought that setting a number based on the infection rate that would signal a return to mandatory mask wearing could be important.
Board member James McKenzie discussed the recent changes in CDC guidelines, noting that he felt that the newly released guidelines seemed to be a more realistic approach to managing the data. McKenzie maintained that keeping kids in school was very important in his mind, and that the district should have a plan in place to achieve this goal, even if the wearing of masks in the future is necessary.
“In person instruction is more important than masks,” McKenzie said.
After several more discussions and contributions, the board approved Calvin’s proposal, with the addendum that increasing infection rates could cause the board to revisit this decision.
Calvin and the board agreed to postpone the planned administrative discussion to the next meeting.
Moving to the Consent agenda, items A through C were approved.
All items on the Personnel Agenda passed unanimously.
All items on the Finance Agenda passed unanimously.
On the items from the board agenda, board member Pamela Dowd noted that the name ‘Joe Wilbur Field’ will not change. Dowd encouraged everyone to get vaccinated.
The Board then moved to executive session to discuss the employment history and performance of a particular staff member.
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