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WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio - The Lakota Local Schools board of education voted 4-1 against a resolution that would have stripped away current COVID-19 safety policies during a Monday evening board meeting.

For subscribers: Lakota school board member wants return safety policies to standards before COVID-19

More: Suburban voters put anti-critical race theory candidates on school boards. Now what?

New board member Darbi Boddy was a few sentences into presenting the resolution - which questioned the effectiveness of wearing masks and states the overall COVID-19 death count has been "overstated" - when board member Isaac Adi interrupted her with a call for the question, a procedure to stop debate and vote. Two other board members sided with him and the board went ahead with voting on the resolution without further discussion.

Boddy was the lone vote for the resolution before the board, which oversees one of the largest school districts in Ohio and the second largest in the Cincinnati region.

The board also looked at changes to its current facial coverings policy during Monday's board meeting, which Boddy stated she would like to have rescinded.

"I will not attach my name to it," Boddy said about the mask policy during the meeting. "I will not be a part of this political ruse."

Adi, another new member who ran on a conservative platform with Boddy, said superintendent Matt Miller should not have the authority to mandate masks at any given time. Requiring masks should be a board discussion and decision, Adi said. Students in the district currently are not required to wear masks, mirroring the policy in the majority of Ohio school districts including those in the Cincinnati region.

Board president Lynda O'Connor agreed, and also emphasized the importance of honoring any mask exemptions students may have. The changes will go back to the board's policy committee for further review and a later vote.

Critical race and gender pronouns

Boddy also brought up concerns about:

Who oversees curriculum.

The district's involvement in the Ohio High School Athletic Association due to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as well as forms that ask athletes for preferred gender pronouns. The board approved renewing the district's membership in OHSAA by a 4-0 vote with Boddy abstaining.

Allowing those who live outside the district to be able to speak during public hearing portions of board meetings.

When the board discussed changes to its curriculum development policy, Boddy advocated for a policy that would allow board members to, if made aware of questionable or concerning teachings, go to teachers' classrooms or request their materials without going through the superintendent. An example of parent concerns, she said, are the claims that Lakota teachers are teaching critical race theory.

More: Critical race theory: What is it, really?

Critical race theory is a college-level concept that studies racial bias present in systems, not the behaviors of individual people. It is often taught in law school and other higher education programs.

"This is a trust issue," Boddy said. "We're basically putting Matt (Miller, superintendent) as the gatekeeper."

"That's his job," board member Kelly Casper replied.

Casper said shifting to a policy where board members micromanage district employees would send a message that the board doesn't trust its staff.

Later on in the discussion, Boddy challenged Miller: "What is he trying to hide?"

The audience booed Boddy at her accusation, and board president O'Connor asked Boddy to refrain from making personal comments that don't allow for a "productive" discussion.

Miller responded by stating he has nothing to hide, but as the leader of the district and overseer of its curriculum and learning, would rather concerns go through him first so he can look into them and provide support for his staff. He also spoke to the constant, everyday changes that curriculum undergoes as teachers work to accommodate student needs from moment to moment.

"Teaching is an art," Miller said. "We don't hire robots. We hire people."

The curriculum development policy is going back to the policy committee, comprised of Boddy and board member Julie Shaffer, for review.

The board will continue to work on its public hearing policy, officials said during the meeting, including further discussion on how to include participants via Zoom.

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Lakota school board votes to keep COVID-19 safety policies

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WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio - The Lakota Local Schools board of education voted 4-1 against a resolution that would have stripped away current COVID-19 safety policies during a Monday evening board meeting. For subscribers: Lakota school board member wants return safety policies to standards before COVID-19 More: Suburban voters put anti-critical race theory candidates on school boards.

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Coronaviruses are often found in bats, cats and camels. The viruses live in but do not infect the animals. Sometimes these viruses then spread to different animal species. The viruses may change (mutate) as they transfer to other species. Eventually, the virus can jump from animal species and begins to infect humans. In the case of COVID-19, the first people infected in Wuhan, China are thought to have contracted the virus at a food market that sold meat, fish and live animals. Although researchers don’t know exactly how people were infected, they already have evidence that the virus can be spread directly from person to person through close contact.

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Coronaviruses are often found in bats, cats and camels. The viruses live in but do not infect the animals. Sometimes these viruses then spread to different animal species. The viruses may change (mutate) as they transfer to other species. Eventually, the virus can jump from animal species and begins to infect humans. In the case of COVID-19, the first people infected in Wuhan, China are thought to have contracted the virus at a food market that sold meat, fish and live animals. Although researchers don’t know exactly how people were infected, they already have evidence that the virus can be spread directly from person to person through close contact.

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