Manatee district reports few anti-mask protesters at schools. The debate continues next week

Manatee County parents vowed to send their children to school without a mask on Monday, protesting a district-wide policy that requires students and employees to wear a face covering.

Bracing for the unknown, the school district sent an email to principals on May 7, informing them of a “small but highly-agitated group of people” who wanted to immediately end the mask mandate. About one week later, during a packed school board meeting, Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said that students would be cited for a dress code violation and possibly sent home if they chose to forgo a mask at the upcoming protest.

But on Monday morning, the day started like any other for most Manatee County schools. There were 10 dress code violations throughout the school district and none were related to masks, district spokesman Mike Barber confirmed.

Another eight students arrived at Palmetto High School without a mask, he continued, noting that all but one put on a face covering after school leaders enforced the policy. The one non-compliant student was then sent home.

Anti-mask protest at charter school

There was a greater showing at Rowlett Middle Academy, a public charter school in Bradenton, spokesperson Erica Levey said in an email to the Bradenton Herald. She said 26 students took part in a mask protest and that Rowlett used the demonstration as a learning opportunity.

The students gathered at an open-air picnic area on campus, where school leaders held a discussion on the mask controversy, students’ First Amendment rights and the chance to have healthy relationships with people who have differing views.

“Good people can disagree on lots of issues,” the presentation said. “It is proper and patriotic to use your First Amendment rights to express your beliefs. Hostility is always counterproductive. No matter what we believe, we can always learn more, and we can always show empathy for others.”

Rowlett’s discussion also included a segment aired by CBS This Morning, providing historical context to the debate. The broadcast detailed a similar controversy during the flu pandemic of 1918, when the Anti-Mask League of San Francisco was formed, and when those who refused a mask were arrested and labeled “slackers.”

Levey said all of Rowlett’s middle school students joined the discussion, including those who wore a mask and stayed in their classrooms. The students who protested outside were asked to finish the day at home with online learning if they refused to wear a mask after Monday’s activity.

When it comes to the upcoming school year, she said, Rowlett plans to rely on guidance from its board of directors, the school district, the county health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when deciding if masks, temperature checks and other measures should continue.

An answer is expected much sooner for students at Manatee County’s traditional public schools. The May 25 school board meeting includes a public hearing, when residents can voice their opinion on the issue, followed by a board vote to possibly end the mask mandate. That change would be effective in early June.

And if recent school board meetings are any indication, the upcoming discussion is likely to draw a large crowd. Dozens of people filled the meeting last week and demanded an immediate end to the mask policy, citing the need for parental choice, the mental health impacts of long-term pandemic measures and, in some cases, misleading information about the dangers of face coverings.

“As adults, many of us have been able to get back to normal,” a parent said at last week’s meeting. “We’ve been given the opportunity to make our own choices, yet a small group of people are not allowing our children to do the same. Let the people that want to wear a mask and not participate in prom or Friday night football stay home. They have that right.”

The May 25 meeting

What: The School Board will vote on whether to end its mask mandate by early June.

When and where: The meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. May 25. Board meetings take place at the School Support Center, 215 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

Restrictions: In-person guests must wear a mask and undergo a temperature check.

How to watch on TV: Anyone can also watch the meetings by visiting the Manatee Schools Television website, mstv.us, and by tuning into Spectrum Channel 646 or Frontier Channel 39.