- April 25, 2024
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School Board member Janet McDonald listens to DOH-Flagler Medical Director Dr. Stephen Bickel. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Advocates of masks in schools hold up signs before the School Board workshop. Photo by Brent Woronoff
With over 2,000 students missing school in the first month alone due to COVID-19 cases and close contacts, a health official recommended the Flagler County School Board deemphasize contact tracing.
Dr. Stephen Bickel, medical director for the Florida Department of Health – Flagler, also recommended universal masks in Flagler schools as a low-cost, moderate- to high-impact strategy.
“There is no question that masks are not 100% effective, but there is lots of evidence that they are somewhat effective,” Bickel told board members at an agenda workshop meeting Tuesday, Sept. 7.
He said contact tracing works well with a lower number of positive tests, but with the high case load due to the Delta variant, “it doesn’t accomplish a whole lot.”
Bickel also recommended outside learning when possible, good ventilation and social distancing of at least three feet.
David Bossardet, the district’s risk manager and safety specialist, said that according to CDC guidelines students in a classroom setting with universal masks should not have to quarantine if they are identified as a close contact but are asymptomatic.
Board member Jill Woolbright said she would be against any kind of mask mandate while there are still legal questions.
“To me, until it is legal to do so, universal masks are out of the question,” she said.
Board Attorney Kristy Gavin told board members that Circuit Court Judge John C. Cooper’s ruling that the governor and the Department of Education have no authority to punish school districts for mask mandates has been appealed with a stay.
“In essence, the executive order stands in place,” Gavin said.
Board Vice Chair Colleen Conklin said Broward and Alachua county school districts, which have mandated masks, have had significantly lower COVID cases.
But board member Janet McDonald said fabric and surgical masks allow “smoke to get around and through, so that tells us that the virus will get around and through, so I think it’s a false promise.”
McDonald said asymptomatic people don’t spread the virus, which Bickel refuted.
“With contact tracing we’re bargaining with people who think they should be free to breathe and learn,” McDonald said. “Healthy people have never been forced to wear a mask before in all of history.”
McDonald went on to question COVID vaccines’ efficacy.
“I would not suggest to anyone to get an experimental injection,” she said.
Bickel told McDonald, “You are such an outlier with your point of view it’s hard to respond.”
“Do I think masks solve the problem? No.” Bickel said. “Do I think they help? Yes.”
Bossardet said the district has made one change with its COVID policy. The Department of Health will no longer contact teachers directly. When a positive case is identified in a classroom, an administrator will get the information from the classroom teacher directly.
“We’re trying to take (the DOH) out of the middle-man role,” he said.
The School Board approved a final millage tax rate, budget and a flexible spending resolution for the 2021-22 fiscal year.
The millage rate was set at 5.865 to raise $43,420,156. The rate is the lowest in 25 years, Patty Wormeck, the district’s chief financial officer, said. The tentative budget for the school year is $211,987,394.
