Hislop

IMBLER — The Imbler School Board met on Tuesday, Aug. 17, to further discuss its Ready Schools, Safe Learners Plan for the 2021 school year.

Following a lengthy public debate during a special meeting on Aug. 12, the school board moved forward with its school guidelines for the fall. The safe learner program was completed and submitted to the InterMountain Education Service District. The guidelines will require mask usage in indoor settings during the school year until further notice from the state.

The document will be on the Imbler School District website and will remain open for public comment for 30 days. According to interim superintendent Doug Hislop, the plan can be updated as time goes on.

The mask mandate discussion was moved on the agenda from the action items section to old business, as the topic was not officially voted on by the board. InterMountain Education Service District informed the board the subject was to be approved after presenting it for public comment.

Hislop and other board members voiced their opposition to the statewide mandate and expressed a desire for local control on decision making, but no changes were made on the board’s stance on the mask requirement, which was implemented by the state due to the recent COVID-19 spike. Hislop went over the mask rules at the meeting, restating that the school board is faced with a difficult decision. The recent statewide mask mandates can potentially result in fines to the school district and loss of teaching licenses for schools that do not comply.

Emphasizing their believe that in-person schooling is crucial, the members of the board reiterated that based on its July meeting, the school district was moving forward toward requiring masks unless a major change occurred.

“If local control was in place, this might be different,” Hislop said.

Two people spoke during the public comment section, including an Imbler student who explained how several other kids in the school district were dealing with depression during the pandemic. The student stressed that in-person learning, activities and sports are more crucial to mental health than any inconvenience from mask usage.

Hislop discussed alternatives, such as the usage of face shields or filing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act for students who have difficulty wearing masks.

The board also mentioned ideas like outdoor learning sessions to give students a break from wearing masks indoors.

The board indicated that the Ready Schools, Safe Learners Plan is an ever-changing document that can be modified if COVID-19 numbers decrease.

The Imbler School district is set to begin school on Aug. 30.