A school board meeting in Wichita, Kansas, was never called to order Monday because three newly elected members were not wearing masks.
Wichita school board President Stan Reeser suspended the meeting and said it would be rescheduled.
The school board voted last August to require masks indoors for anyone 3 years and older when in Wichita Public Schools.
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“This district cannot vote on directives, policies and protocols that we expect students, staff and visitors to abide by, all the while exempting BOE members,” Reeser told the Wichita Eagle. “This is a message we cannot send.”
The new, conservative board members, Diane Albert, Kathy Bond, and Hazel Stabler, were expected to be sworn in Monday. Each was recruited by the Sedgwick County Republican Party to assist in mobilizing efforts against mask and vaccine mandates, in addition to critical race theory, according to the Wichita Eagle.
Other meeting agenda items did not include COVID-19-specific protocols.
“Our students and staff have made it clear that they want to be in school to teach and to learn,” Reeser added. “In order to make this possible, we must follow current health recommendations and public health guidelines. The board of education’s face mask requirement gives us the greatest chance to have the safest possible teaching and learning environment.”
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Albert, Bond, and Stabler unseated incumbent board members during November’s election.
