Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Natalie Hastings and Mason Hastings (8) are among a group of protesters outside of the Warren County School District central office Tuesday morning. The group wants to see a repeal of the state-wide mandate that masks be worn in school.

On Day One of the new mandate requiring masks be worn in schools, members of a local group protested.

Members of Parents’ Right to Choose gathered at the Warren County School District central office in Russell Tuesday morning.

They bore signs with messages like “No More Masks” and “Parent Choice,” showing their frustration with and opposition to the mandate from Gov. Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

“We’re standing up for our kids,” Natalie Hastings said.

About 15 members remained on location at about 11:30 a.m.; there were reportedly more members showing support before that. Many drivers honked their horns in support as they passed.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry A group of protesters outside of the Warren County School District central office share their message with passersby Tuesday morning. The group wants to see a repeal of the state-wide mandate that masks be worn in school.

Last week, the school board met in emergency session, but could not agree on a motion in agreement with nor in defiance of the mandate.

The members of the group would like them to try again.

“It’s not a law,” Hastings said. “They’re choosing to follow it.”

“This is an order from the Department of Health,” Superintendent Amy Stewart said. “Our attorneys have been very clear, and the order must be followed.”

She provided information that had been included in the order about potential consequences of failure to comply.

“School officials who fail to adhere to the order could lose the protection of sovereign immunity and may personally face lawsuits from those who may be affected by any official’s attempt to ignore the order,” information from the Department of Education said. “Failing to implement or follow the control measures may expose individuals to personal liability… as well as other remedies as provided by law. Failure… also subjects a person to the penalty provisions of the Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955.”

“Non-compliance with the order for child care providers licensed by the Department of Human Services will be cited under… Pennsylvania code.”

“There are a lot of school districts that are not following the mandate,” Hastings said.

Stewart said she had heard of districts that were not complying.

“I am seeing some names of districts tossed around, but I have no first-hand knowledge,” she said. “Our IU, our solicitors, and our superintendent organization have been crystal clear, and the superintendents I interact with regularly are following the order.”

Until the issuance of the order, the district’s policy was a ‘mask optional’ one. The district’s health and safety plan contained that language.

“We’re urging the district to go back to ‘masks optional’ and not follow this mandate,” Hastings said. “We are all urging the school district to call for another board meeting by Sept. 15.”

The board has a regularly-scheduled meeting on the calendar for Monday, Sept. 13.

During Thursday morning’s emergency school board meeting, some parents who spoke said they would not send their children to school if masks were required.

Hastings kept her son, who was with her at the protest, out of school on Monday. “He believes in his rights,” she said. “He doesn’t want to go to school and wear a mask.”

Stewart said attendance was low on Tuesday, but could not attribute all of the shortfall to that position.

“Attendance was down today, but we are extremely busy with contact tracing,” she said. “I also had parents tell me they were nervous to send their children to school today because of the plans to protest. I appreciate the organizers moving their events off the school sites, as we don’t want students to be afraid to go to school because of protests.”

Stewart said masks are readily available in the school buildings for those who need them.

Last year, during mask mandates, the district’s policy on students who would not wear masks and did not have medical excuses not to was to turn them away from their classrooms.

“We had a handful of refusals to comply, but no one was turned away from school today,” Stewart said.

The mandate was set in place in response to rising numbers of cases of COVID-19, Wolf said. “Action is needed to ensure children are safe as they return to school.”

COVID UPDATE

There were 17 new cases announced Saturday, none on Sunday, and two each on Monday and Tuesday.

So far, there have been 2,902 cases in the county – 2,219 confirmed and 683 probables.

The department added three new deaths to the county’s COVID toll this weekend. One death of a county resident on Aug. 27 and two on Sept. 1 have been attributed to the virus.

The county death toll was 110 as of Tuesday.

Warren remained listed as a high transmission area as of Monday’s information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The only two counties in the state that were not in the high category – Chester and Philadelphia – were listed as moderate.