Decision on masks rests with New Albany-Floyd County School Board

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- After days of back and forth, the decision on whether to force students to wear masks in schools now rests with the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Board.

On Wednesday, Floyd County Health Officer Dr. Tom Harris issued an order requiring masks for all students 6th grade and younger in public, private and charter schools in the county.

However, the order was rescinded on Thursday pending the outcome of a vote by Floyd County commissioners citing the recent passage of Indiana Senate bill 5.

Senate bill 5 went into effect in Indiana on July 1 and allows for local legislative bodies to approve or disapprove of any health mandates from the local health department that are more stringent than the state.

Commissioners originally scheduled an emergency meeting to take up the issue on Monday only to cancel it hours later after coming to an agreement with the health department.

"The Floyd County Health Officer, Dr. Thomas Harris, MD is continuing to very strongly recommend that school agencies require the use of masks for in-school indoor education for grades K to 6. Masks are very strongly recommended for grades 7 to 12," the news release from the health department states.

A small group of parents protested the proposed mask mandate at the Floyd County Health Department on Wednesday and Thursday.

"When they decided to do what they did and push this mask mandate, we said no.," said Sarah Christianson, a parent with a student at Christian Academy. "The risk vs. reward on this mask mandate just isn't there. And the science just isn't there to justify masking all of our children."

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends universal masking for all school aged children regardless of vaccination status. So does the CDC.

New Albany-Floyd County schools have had at least 7 students exposures to COVID-19 since school started on Tuesday.

The school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday August 9.