No ‘parental rights’ policy in the works

Colby parents who want a policy that gives them ultimate authority over all health-related decisions involving their children will likely be disappointed at the next school board meeting.

In May, the issue was referred to the board’s policy committee, which met last Wednesday and instead discussed what board members can do to improve “community engagement” with members of the public. Not much of the discussion focused on how the rights of parents might be expanded when it comes to health-related decisions.

Superintendent Steve Kolden said he doesn’t think the district can legally do what the parents are asking, since health-related decisions may impact a child’s classmates and teachers.

When it comes to vaccinations for diseases like polio, for instance, he said parents either need to present proof of vaccination or a waiver that cites either a religious or other personal exemption.

“We are required to have either proof of vaccination or proof of a waiver,” he said.

Committee member Terry Hanson agreed with Kolden, saying it would be a “liability issue” if the district just allowed parents to make health decisions without regard for everyone else in the district. Any time a child comes to school with a prescription medication, they can’t just take it on their own, she noted.

A form must be filled out and signed so it can be administered at school.

“The way it’s set up right now, just with medications and all that, you can’t totally release the school of all that responsibility,” she said.

Hanson acknowledged that the mask mandate is somewhat of a “grey area,” but she also noted that wearing masks for medical purposes never used to be an issue until recently.

The issue came before the committee after board member Todd Schmidt made a motion at the May 17 board meeting to make face masks voluntary for students in all grades and to refer any further discussion to the policy committee.

At the June 21 monthly meeting, however, Schmidt wanted the May 17 minutes changed to say that “a community engagement policy” was to be discussed by the committee instead.

Kolden said Schmidt did not believe the minutes accurately reflected the motion he made on May 17, but he acknowledged that the board really should have voted to rescind his motion and pass a new one if that’s what he wanted.

“It should have been an agenda item rather than just changing the minutes,” he said.

Hanson and fellow committee members Cheryl Ploeckelman and Eric Elmhorst reviewed the district’s existing policies that deal with community engagement and agreed that what’s in place is adequate for giving members of the public a chance to provide input.

Kolden said several other “community engagement” policies could be adopted by the board, but he doesn’t see much value in them.

“All they say is ‘We’re going to engage the community in conversation,’” he said. “There is not a lot of substance to them, and I’ve never really liked fluff policies.”

Kolden also noted that community engagement is one of the four main tenants of the district’s strategic plan, an evolving document that is reviewed and updated periodically by the board.

Ploeckelman said she remembers a few years ago when the board offered entire half-hour listening sessions before every board meeting for members of the public to speak about any topic.

“Nobody ever showed up,” she said. “We never had anybody come.”

However, as Hanson pointed out, circumstances have changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the controversy over mandatory mask-wearing. For several months in a row, the board heard from 10 or so parents and staff who were mostly opposed to the mask mandate.

When it comes to COVID-related issues, Elmhorst said he and other board members listened to what parents had to say, but they made their decisions based on recommendations of the health department and the district’s legal counsel.

“I feel like were are engaging. I am listening,” he said. “I hear what their opinion is. I hear what they believe.”

Hanson said a lot of the material provided by anti-mask parents took things out of context to make a point.

“You can’t just pull out a line or two and underline it in red ink,” she said.

Committee members expressed frustration that the parents themselves are not listening to the board when it comes to the decisions they make.

“As much as they say we’re not listening, it’s totally reflected on their side,” Hanson said. “There’s no give-and-take on their side, either.”