In St. Mary schools, masks will be recommended, not required

CENTERVILLE -- The St. Mary Parish School Board voted Thursday to recommend that students and employees at public schools wear masks in the coming year but without a mask mandate.

Students will still be required to wear masks on school buses because of a presidential directive that applies to public and mass transit.

This spring, the board revised COVID mitigation rules for the Summer Adventure Program to recommend but not require masks. Superintendent Dr. Teresa Bagwell recommended extending those rules into the next school year, which begins Aug. 6.

Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered public school campuses closed in March 2020 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. St. Mary students returned for on-campus learning in fall 2020 with mask and social distancing rules in place.

Despite a sharp rise in St. Mary COVID cases during the third coronavirus wave, schools have been free of serious outbreaks.

One member of the audience, Lindsey Anslem, on Thursday asked the board not to require masks.

Anslem pointed to a study from Gainesville, Florida, which she said showed student masks trapped bacteria, including varieties that cause disease including tuberculosis. She named three local students who she said have suffered from repeated cases of strep infection.

Media accounts from Gainesville say a group of mothers sent six masks worn by students to a lab for testing. They learned that five of the masks contained fungi and bacteria, including bacteria that can lead to pneumonia.

One of the mothers said the students were required to wear masks without a break for hours, even during outside play in hot weather.

Anslem's comments led to questions from board Vice President Marilyn LaSalle: "Just because we're not mandating masks doesn't mean we're not comfortable with them, right?"

"Right," answered Bagwell.

As of June 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that unvaccinated people 2 and over wear masks indoors in public places.

"Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance," according to the CDC website.

St. Mary and Pointe Coupee parishes were the two parishes rated at "highest risk" of COVID spread by the Louisiana Office of Public Health based on statistics for the week ending June 23.

For the week ending June 30, Pointe Coupee has been downgraded to "high risk." But new parishes joined St. Mary on the "highest risk" list: St. Martin, Lafourche, Livingston, St. Helena, East Feliciana and La Salle.

St. Mary's vaccination rate, 29.1%, continues to lag the state and the nation.