Northwest Arkansas school districts weighing mask mandates

BENTONVILLE -- At least a few Northwest Arkansas school districts are proposing to make face coverings a requirement to attend school this fall.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson last week granted local school boards the authority to determine policy regarding the use of face coverings as a way to help prevent the spread of covid-19 in schools.

Bentonville administrators may require all K-12 students and employees to wear a face covering on buses and in situations where social distancing isn't possible at school this fall, according to a letter Superintendent Debbie Jones wrote to district families this week.

The proposal will go through the district's Reopening Task Force for feedback before administrators present it to the School Board for approval July 21.

"For those with specific health conditions that require they not wear a face covering, a physician's note shall be provided to the school nurse stating the health condition that prohibits a face covering," Jones wrote.

Rogers administrators also plan to present a recommendation to their board this month making face coverings mandatory for all K-12 students and employees, Superintendent Marlin Berry said. A policy draft will be sent to teachers first for their feedback.

Fayetteville's School Board met July 2 to discuss a face covering requirement. The board made suggestions for minor changes to a proposed policy, but otherwise seemed to support it.

The Fayetteville board is set to vote next week on the policy, which requires K-12 students and staff members to wear a face covering while in a school building or riding a bus. Students would be allowed to remove face coverings when appropriate social distancing measures are in place, as determined by a teacher or administrator, according to the proposal.

The proposal doesn't describe any standards the face coverings must meet.

Springdale, the state's largest school district, has not made a move toward requiring face coverings, though administrators are having "daily discussion" about it, said Rick Schaeffer, Springdale's communications director.

"We're taking everything into account, knowing we're still five weeks away from school starting," Schaeffer said.

Springdale currently recommends adults and all students in fifth grade and above wear face coverings when social distancing cannot be achieved.

School districts, whether they're requiring or recommending face coverings, generally are relying on parents to provide them for their children.

Bentonville announced its intention to move ahead with a face-covering requirement two days before parents were asked to commit to either in-person or virtual education for their children this fall. That decision was due Wednesday.

On Monday, the district posted a photo on Facebook of a pair of high school football players -- one from Bentonville High, one from West High -- posing together, wearing face coverings.

The picture was accompanied by the message: "A face mask is about showing respect for your teacher, teammate or even your competition. Face coverings protect the people around you when you can't safely distance. Count on face masks to bring us together. Mask up, Bentonville Schools!"

That post drew hundreds of comments, with many people arguing about the effectiveness of face coverings.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wear cloth face coverings in public settings and when around people who don't live in the same household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

Face coverings may help prevent people who have covid-19 from spreading the virus to others by reducing the spread of respiratory droplets into the air, according to the centers' website.

Jamaica Hoyord of Cave Springs has a son entering the 10th grade at Rogers High School and a daughter entering eighth grade at Bentonville's Fulbright Junior High School.

Hoyord, a former nurse, said she doesn't support mandatory face-covering policies. Face coverings provide a false sense of security, she said.

The overwhelming majority of people who get covid-19 recover, outside of those who have a chronic illness or a compromised immune system, she said. Hoyord promotes habits she said enhance the immune system, such as including a lot of vitamins in your diet and avoiding sugar.

Penny Springmann, an English teacher at Bentonville High School, started a petition online last week at Change.org requesting face coverings be made mandatory in Bentonville schools. The petition had garnered 1,388 signatures as of noon Wednesday.

"I was encouraged to do it by colleagues who are highly concerned about the reopening" of schools, Springmann said.

Springmann plans to present her petition to the School Board before it votes on the administration's recommendation.

"I believe the mandate's important because we know masks are effective in slowing the spread of the coronavirus," Springmann said. "That should be a priority to keep our students, faculty and staff safe."