Lively Mask Debate Erupts At Moorestown School Board Meeting

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The beginning of Moorestown Board of Education's meeting was delayed nearly an hour Tuesday night after a group of residents showed up to the meeting without masks on.

Board of Education President Caryn Shaw began the meeting by asking members of the public who weren't wearing masks to put them on. After being met with vocal resistance, the board moved to adjourn the meeting and the majority of board members walked out.

"We are just following the mandates from the state," Shaw said when the meeting resumed at 7:47 p.m., about 20 minutes after board members walked out. "We are setting an example for our students. A lot of us would love to get rid of the masks as well, but at this point in time, we have to follow the policies."

After the meeting resumed, the Board of Education approved the school district's Safe Return To School plan. Next, the school board will provide final updates on the plan at its Aug. 18 meeting, officials said. The first day of school will be Sept. 8.

"I want to say thank you to those of you in the audience that have followed the guidelines and done what we asked," Superintendent of Schools Scott McCartney said. "In order to compromise with the folks that were here who have a different opinion, we've elected to allow them to stay outside of this room, just so you can have the space and distance you would like. Anyone who's in the meeting should wear a mask and go from there. Ideally, we would like everyone to follow the guidance within the school and keep the mask on."

Tuesday's meeting was held in the auditorium of the William Allen Middle School, with limited in-person attendance. It streamed live via YouTube.

When the meeting resumed, the residents who were not wearing masks were asked to stand outside the auditorium with the doors open, according to Moorestown Police Chief Lee Lieber. Police had been called to the scene, but the situation was resolved and no one was charged, Lieber said.

"It was not a large group, but they were quite vocal," Lieber said. "The district's just doing what they have to do by the governor's orders."

A day before the meeting, on Monday, a member of the Facebook group, "Unmask NJ Schools Governor Murphy" wrote, "Moorestown BOE meeting tomorrow. Who can attend with us?" There were 11 replies indicating that people from the group would be there.

According to board member Mark Villanueva, the school board met privately for two hours before the start of the public meeting in a different room.

"Nobody on the board wore a mask during that meeting," Villanueva said. "Nor did our Superintendent, Scott McCartney. It is unfortunate that our district burdened the police department for this issue: a purported violation of a rule that the rule makers themselves (the BOE members and the Superintendent) do not themselves follow unless on camera. These theatrics are a distraction and disingenuous."

Villanueva and David Weinstein were among the only board members who initially remained seated when the rest of the board walked out.

During the meeting's first public comment portion, parents repeatedly asked board members if they wore masks during that private meeting, and board members didn't respond. Shaw said before the public portion began that there would be no reply from board members to public comment.

"What you do behind closed doors is your business," parent Colette McLean-Lamidi said. "It's disconcerting to me to know that among your group that there are people who would divulge what happened behind closed doors. To me, that is such a breach of trust."

Parents also spoke about the emotional and physical toll wearing masks in schools have taken on their children.

"I'm done empowering you to decide what's best for my kid," resident Bill Blanche said during the school board's first public comment portion. "My kid's coming back to school in September without a mask on."

Under the Safe Return To School plan, the school district will follow the state Department of Health's guidelines for wearing masks, and adjust its practices accordingly when school resumes in the fall. Read more here: Moorestown's Safe Return To School Plan To Be Considered Tuesday

"We can't accept this plan if it includes masking our students eight to nine hours a day," parent and local pediatrician Katie Sullivan said. "I urge you to end the mask mandate."

"As of right now, the CDC recommends masks for anyone indoors who can not be vaccinated," parent Melissa Arcaro Burns said. "Institutions that specialize in the medical care of children like the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia also recommend masks for children who can not be vaccinated while they're indoors. Masks are inconvenient and they are annoying. They're not traumatizing, and they're not dangerous."

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for emergency use for all members of the public ages 12-and-up. The vaccine has not yet been authorized for emergency use among residents younger than 12.

Gov. Phil Murphy lifted mask mandates for indoor and outdoor gatherings just before Memorial Day, although the order didn't include schools. Read more here: Face Mask Order Lifted: What You Can Do Now Amid COVID In NJ

A growing number of school districts have requested the mask mandate be lifted in schools, and parents were critical of McCartney because Moorestown isn't one of them.

"The executive order doesn't include schools," McCartney said. "I asked the school board if they'd like to write a letter, and several did."

"I do intend to write to the governor, and I implore all of you who feel the same way to do that," Shaw said at the end of the meeting. "We have gotten many, many emails on the other side, from people wanting to keep masks for children under 12. So we are not in the fall. It's a long time away. We don't know at this point what it will bring. We are a public entity, so we are required to follow the mandates of the state. If the mandates change, we will change."

In late May, Gov. Phil Murphy reiterated his position that New Jersey students and staff likely still be wearing masks when the 2021-22 school year starts in September, but he did offer wiggle room for high school students and others who already have been vaccinated.

Murphy first acknowledged that his statements were predictions and that a lot could change by early September.

"My guess is we're likely to be masked, for the simple reason that only a couple of weeks ago were we able to get 12- to 15-year-olds vaccinated," Murphy said in reply to a reporter's question about letters from two Ocean County school districts urging him to drop the mask mandate.

Murphy did note that most high schoolers will have been long vaccinated by the time the fall arrives because those 16 and older have been able to get vaccinated since the start.

Murphy has also said that local school districts have the flexibility with requiring indoor mask-wearing due to the excessive heat. Read more here: NJ This Week: COVID Schools, Mask Rules May Be Released