Parent alleges harassment of student for not wearing mask
The lifting of the mask mandate at the Colby School District last Friday has apparently created some tension between at least some teachers and their students and parents.
In an email exchange provided to the Tribune-Phonograph, a parent accused one of her son’s teachers of discriminating against him because he was not wearing a mask in class last Friday.
The parent told elementary principal Brenda Medenwaldt that she had submitted a waiver allowing her son to not wear a mask — as allowed under the district’s new policy — but the teacher called her and asked her to reconsider.
“However, his dad and I had came to the conclusion that we have had enough of the mask,” she wrote.
The parent alleged that her son was kept in the back of the classroom, not allowed to participate in group activities and was told that “he can get COVID and die” by not wearing a mask. She called this “absolutely unacceptable” and asked the principal to make sure her son is not being “discriminated against or harassed.”
In her response, Medenwaldt told the parent said she would look into what the teacher said to the student.
“We do not discriminate or harass the students not wearing masks,” Medenwaldt wrote. When asked about the parent’s complaint, superintendent Steve Kolden said he has spoken with three teachers in the district who have health concerns now that the mask mandate has been lifted. He suggested that those teachers speak directly to parents about their concerns.
However, he said it is up to administrators to determine if masks will still be required in a particular classroom. As of right now, he said masks are not mandated in any of the district’s classrooms.
Kolden said he has offered the following response to teachers who have asked about continuing to require masks in their classrooms: “In very limited and very specific conditions, we can require masks in certain classrooms. If you have been vaccinated, the transmission rate is so minimal that you are not able to require student masks in your classroom.”
In cases where teachers have not been vaccinated, Kolden asks that they provide statements from doctors identifying a medical reason for declining the vaccine and proof of an underlying health condition that puts them at greater risk of a severe COVID reaction.
The teachers are also asked for a HIPPA waiver so this medical information can be shared with parents.
Kolden said teachers may still be trying to socially distance students without masks on, which may be perceived as harassment or discrimination. He said it’s not the district’s intention to single out or exclude students without masks.
