Evangeline Parish School Board

4 August 2021

Mask wearing was the hot topic at Wednesday’s meeting of the Evangeline Parish School Board. At their last meeting, it was decided that masks would be voluntary unless the state of Louisiana ordered otherwise. Since the state has issued a mask mandate, the decision is no longer in the hands of the school board; they must abide by Governor John Bel Edwards’ orders.

Dr. Chuck Aswell was in attendance to give everyone information on masks and how they work. He said that clear plastic face shields, while comfortable, are not effective on their own. COVID-19 is a droplet disease, meaning that it is not airborne and that those droplets can slide down the plastic and defeat the purpose of the mask. Handmade cotton masks should be 3 layers thick: a cotton interior to absorb, a poly-woven blend in the middle, and polyester on the outside to prevent the droplets from escaping. Surgical masks are best for public use, while N95 masks are recommended for healthcare workers. Essentially, he said, N95 masks protect the wearer since they absorb what comes in, and surgical masks protect the public by absorbing what goes out.

All students and employees will be required to wear a surgical mask or a 3-layer cotton mask on campuses.

Dr. Aswell also says that while over 300 million people in the US are vaccinated, only 6,000 deaths are attributed to adverse effects of the vaccine. Again, he warns everyone to be wary of misinformation spread online.

Several parents and citizens showed up at the meeting to argue for or against mask-wearing; however, since public comments were not on the agenda, the public was not permitted to speak. Individuals who chose not to wear masks were asked to remain outside. Instead, some upset individuals chose to shout over the board members to express their anger over the mask mandate and accuse the board of dictatorship. Tensions quickly rose, with some people taking off their masks and others shouting their opinions from outside the room. Authorities were called and an officer arrived to keep watch at the door. Mr. Arthur Sampson spoke in favor of the mask mandate, but since public comments were not allowed from either side, he was still asked to remain silent. He left after threatening to sue the school board for silencing the public but returned later to inform them that his attorney would be in touch.

The school board would like to remind everyone that all public schools in Evangeline Parish will return on Wednesday, August 11th; teachers are to return to work on Monday, August 9th. They would also like to stress that NO child will ever be tested for the virus without parent approval.