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Protesters staged at the MFISD administration building, 1800 Colt Circle, on Wednesday, Sept. 1 to oppose the district’s decision to implement a mask mandate for a month. District officials paused enforcement of the mandate to convene a special board meeting to listen to public comments and consider new developments at the state level. Nathan Hendrix/The Highlander
With legal challenges pending and disagreements within the Marble Falls community, Marble Falls Independent School District officials opted for another chance to review the situation before moving forward on enforcement of a mask mandate.
The district will host a special school board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. at Marble Falls High School in the common area to hear from community members and discuss updates to executive, legislative and judicial actions.
The school board voted 4-3 on Aug. 30 in favor of reinstating a mask mandate on MFISD campuses for all students and staff while indoors. The order was set to go into effect on Sept. 1 and last through Oct. 1, unless extended by board action.
On Sept. 1, parents and residents opposing the order staged a protest in front of the MFISD administration building. Speakers at the event used the governor’s executive order banning the action and their rights as parents as their primary talking points in opposition to a requirement.
Following the event, school officials released a statement placing a moratorium on enforcement of the mandate until the board can convene again.
The action was taken on Aug. 30 after Highland Lakes Elementary School in Granite Shoals was closed Aug. 26 and 27 due to staff virus cases. The campus was again scheduled to be closed today, Sept. 7 through 13 (See letter to parents on Page 8) due to student virus cases.
As of Sept. 2, district officials reported 37 positive virus cases throughout the district in two days in the month; in August, positive cases totaled 169 at all campuses.
Allen recommended the mask mandate to the board on Aug. 30 as an attempt to take action against the rising case numbers. He said he wasn’t “wild about it.”
“I’m pretty concerned with where we are as a district right now,” he said at the meeting.
Board President Kevin Naumann agreed.
“At the end of the day, it’s about what we feel is the best decision we can make at the time,” he said at the Aug. 30 meeting. “That’s the motivation behind my vote.”
Naumann was joined by trustees Alex Payson, Mandy McCary and Rick Edwards in the affirmative vote. Trustees Gary Boshears, Larry Berkman and Kevin Virdell voted against the measure.
On Sept. 1, Naumann penned a litter to the community asking for civility in disagreement.
“My hope is that during these next weeks, we will engage one another in building trust, communicating solutions (not just problems), and elevating our discussions to levels that focus on building strength, resilience, and peace,” he wrote.
What: MFISD school board special called meeting
When: September 8 at 6 p.m.
Where: MFHS commons