ELY – School officials here have no incentive for rolling back protective face mask mandates anytime soon as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage through the school population. Indeed, of the 34 cases of the COVID-19 to hit the local school since Labor Day, 17 active cases were reported in the school as of Wednesday.
The Ely Safe Learning Plan Advisory Council (ESLPAC) continues to meet on a weekly basis to hammer out the details of how, when and why a mask-wearing mandate might eventually transition into a mere recommendation.
But the council’s existence appears to be in jeopardy.
Earlier this fall, facing a backlash from a minority group of anti-masking petition signers, school board members rescinded the school administration’s authority, with input from ELSPAC, to make school health protocol decisions, even as positive COVID-19 cases surged with the start of the school year.
Instead, they took the responsibility themselves to vote by majority rule on recommendations from school administrators as to when face masks will no longer be required on the ISD 696 campus.
They asked Superintendent Erik Erie to increase the number of community members on the advisory council to join community and county health officials, school staff, students and parents to develop a strategy to determine when reported COVID cases are reduced enough to consider a “mask recommendation” policy.
As the advisory council struggles with trying to hit the moving target of fluctuating positivity rates, changes in case reporting procedures, disparities in nearby school districts’ mask mandate metrics, and other factors, no consensus has been reached by the group.
Erie told school board members last week that the school administration recommendation is that a “masks required” mandate continue for at least two weeks. He noted that for extra-curricular activities, as recently approved by the school board, masks would not be required.
For recent activities in school buildings, such as the high school band concert and the Veterans Day tribute program, participants were required to wear masks.
“The administration continues to examine all the metrics,” Erie said. “ELSPAC continues to have discussions centered around what thresholds should be used and in what ranges, such as moderate and substantial,” Erie said.
“Our local health providers are advocating for three metrics to use, with two of the three present to make a change,” he said “The three metrics are local ZIP Code cases in the moderate transmission range for three consecutive weeks (three cases or less in the 55731 ZIP Code), Northern St. Louis County cases in the moderate transmission range for two consecutive weeks (eight cases or less), and the St. Louis County positivity rate in the moderate range for two consecutive weeks at eight percent or less (currently in the 10-percent range).”
Board chair Ray Marsnik said, “We all know that this is a rather contentious issue. And anytime you have a contentious issue, getting a consensus is rather difficult. What I’m understanding is that you want to stay where we are at (with masks) for now.”
In a complete course reversal, a recommendation suggested by member Tony Colarich to consider “sunsetting” the advisory council altogether will be taken up by the board at a study session on Monday, Nov. 22.
Colarich indicated that the existence of the advisory council, rather than those few outspoken petition signers who verbally attacked school district employees and board members, is responsible for the face mask mandate controversy.
“We have people on (ELSPAC) that are mask people, and we have people that are anti-mask people,” Colarich said. “I think what they have reached is a perpetual stalemate. What it has done is create a great divide. It has had a real negative impact on the district. What I’m recommending for the study session is that this advisory committee sunsets, and is replaced be a newly formed committee consisting of the superintendent, both principals and a (school) board member.”
The new, streamlined committee would apparently continue to listen to input from outside sources, such as local medical professionals and public health experts.
The current ELSPAC already consists of the superintendent, the two school principals and school board member Tom Omerza.
Parents, teachers, staff, students, school employee union representatives also weigh in on discussions. It appears that Colarich seeks to eliminate that input.
School board member Darren Visser requested data from other northern Minnesota school districts to compare with what ISD 696 is doing.
“We have two groups going here,” he said. “Like any scientific experiment. One is with masks and the other is without. How many cases do those schools have? Let’s see if there is a difference with what’s going on here.”
The ELSPAC was scheduled to meet on Thursday, Nov. 18, possibly for the last time, to continue their due diligence of developing face mask-mandate protocols for the school board to consider.