School Board Billings,
### We request a revision of the current remove/reinstate masking plan
The conversation and decision was made without involvement from the community or the parents. There was no time given nor was anyone allowed to speak. Furthermore, the people that did attend could barely hear the board discussing. If the board is going to continue to wear masks at their meetings, they should use a microphone.
Let's break it down by section -
*To remove masks:
"If the number of positive cases and quarantines combined is 4% or less
and/or-overall community average positivity rate in Christian, Stone, Lawrence, and Greene counties is 8%
and/or overall community average positivity rate in Christian, Stone, Lawrence, and Greene counties is >10%, *
* ** The ongoing and/or verbiage makes it so there are no clear guidelines and promotes yo-yo mandates that not only confuse the students and parents but also keep everyone in a state of chaos.**
* ** To include surrounding counties that have no student from the district in is not only irrational but sets a standard that this administration doesn't want to work towards keeping our kids unmasked but quite the opposite.**
* ** Please remove counties and consider the district only.**
*then masks go on for 2 weeks*
* **Why not make the goal line 4%? When the district hits that number they come off? The last two weeks is a perfect example of that. These kids have been forced to mask, harassed, yelled at, and it affects their education for what? If we went by the number, you set of the 4% and counted only the district they wouldn't have been required this year. **
*and/or the district positivity and quarantine is 4%, then masks are recommended, not required. Masks will be on for a 2-week duration, with evaluation to be every 2 weeks. *
* **The ongoing and/or verbiage makes it so there are no clear guidelines and promotes yo-yo mandates that not only confuse the students and parents but also keep everyone in a state of chaos.**
*The next two-week evaluation will be September 13th. At that time the superintendent will review the cases, quarantines, positivity rates and guidelines and send out information to parents/guardians as to whether the district is masking or not.*
* **We request a clear, concise plan with set guidelines. Also please share where you are pulling numbers from and how this is being calculated. We would assume it would be county health dashboards, but please confirm. **
* **Example from Clever is below. Clever or Marionville would be more of a comparison. In the meetings we hear about Ozark, Nixa, Republic. Those schools have as many kids in one grade level as Billings does in the entire student body. **
*If, at any time, a building reaches 7% or more of students and staff absent due to COVID-related reasons, that building could issue a mask requirement for a minimum of two weeks or until those numbers drop to fewer than 4% absences in that building for two consecutive weeks.
* **Nothing about surrounding counties, or even Christian County. Provide a plan that is simple, easy for all to understand, and reasonable with the goal to not be masked instead of the opposite.**
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