Superintendent says few students would qualify for mask exemption
Milford. Superintendent John Bell called parents to explain Pennsylvania’s new school mask mandate, and that he was obliged to comply it.
Milford /
| 08 Sep 2021 | 06:47
Mask opponents wear tee-shirts reflecting their viewpoint at a recent school board meeting (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Delaware Valley’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Bell sent a recorded telephone message last Friday to all parents about the new Pennsylvania mandate requiring masks inside schools.
“We are obligated to follow the state’s rules,” he said.
He also said if parents felt their student qualified for a school mask exemption, they needed to fill out a temporary exemption form found on Delaware Valley’s home page (dvsd.org).
Parents may send the completed form to the school with their child or email it to their child’s counselor by Tuesday morning.
Bell said only a few students would qualify for an exemption.
On the district’s exemption form, the parent/guardian can check one of two choices: that wearing a face covering would cause a medical condition, or that it would exacerbate an existing condition, including respiratory issues that impede breathing, a medical condition or disability.
If parents didn’t think their child qualified for a mask exemption, they had three choices for continuing their child’s education: the child can wear a mask to school, enroll in a cyber program, or be home-schooled.
The child’s school counselor will help those who choose cyber schooling or homeschooling, Bell said.
He said a federal mandate required the wearing masks on school buses.
Julie Ewald of DV’s administrative office said in an email that the school’s temporary exemption form will be the only one accepted.
Parent Meg Rosenfeld posted on Facebook Wednesday, “I called the governor’s office and explained that our school board voted to allow parents to complete a temporary mask exemption form supplied on the district’s website. This form allows children to attend school unmasked until October 1 without supplying medical documentation for a valid exemption.”
She said she was told that the temporary mask exemption form is illegal and that the office is asking the education department to investigate.
Bell did not advocate for masks in his message.
The results of a new large-scale study released last week found that the more people wore masks, the less spread of Covid there was.
At a recent school board meeting, people objecting to masks in schools successfully shouted down a resolution that masks be worn for the first two weeks of classes.
Lawsuit filed
The Republican leader of the state Senate and a group of parents filed a lawsuit on Sept. 3 seeking to overturn the mask mandate.
The suit, filed in Commonwealth Court, asserts that Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam failed to comply with state law when she ordered masks to be worn in all Pennsylvania public and private schools, as well as child care facilities.
The masking order isn’t valid because it didn’t go through the state’s regulatory review process, the lawsuit said. It also accused the Wolf administration of trying to circumvent newly approved constitutional amendments limiting a governor’s emergency powers.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the masking order. The court scheduled a hearing for Sept. 16.
Lyndsay Kensinger, spokesperson for Gov. Wolf, said the health secretary’s authority is “clearly outlined in existing law.’’
“We need Republicans to stop spending their time undermining public heath and instead encourage people to get vaccinated,” she said.
Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to the reporting of this story.
PA’s exceptions to face-covering requirement
The following are exceptions to the face covering requirements. All alternatives to a face covering, including the use of a face shield, should be exhausted before an individual is excepted from this Order.
A. If wearing a face covering while working would create an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.
B. If wearing a face covering would either cause a medical condition, or exacerbate an existing one, including respiratory issues that impede breathing, a mental health condition or a disability.
C. When necessary to confirm the individual’s identity.
D. When working alone and isolated from interaction with other people with little or no expectation of in-person interaction.
E. If an individual is communicating or seeking to communicate with someone who is hearing-impaired or has another disability, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication.
F. When the individual is under two years of age.
G. When an individual is: (1) Engaged in an activity that cannot be performed while wearing a mask, such as eating and drinking, or playing an instrument that would be obstructed by the face covering; or (2) Participating in high intensity aerobic or anerobic activities, including during a physical education class in a well-ventilated location and able to maintain a physical distance of six feet from all other individuals.
H. When a child/student is participating in a sports practice activity or event, whether indoors or outdoors.
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Health: health.pa.gov
“We are obligated to follow the state’s rules.” Superintendent John Bell
