By Kayla Hallac and Maggie McNinch, Co-Editors-in-Chief 

“Freedom of speech is dead in our schools!” 

This outburst shared by an audience member at the Sept. 1 Board of Education meeting caused shouts of support and denial as well as a police escort out of First Flight High School’s gym as the polarity surrounding a mask mandate for Dare County Schools raged on.

The meeting — which was not open to public comment — discussed options regarding masks, virtual school, nonessential visitors and accessible vaccine information on the school’s website. The board voted unanimously in favor of returning to a universal mask mandate, 6-1 for a virtual school option, 7-0 for limiting nonessential visitors, and 6-1 for sharing vaccine information on the COVID-19 page of the Dare County Schools’ website.

The decision flipped a 6-1 vote taken by the board at its August meeting to make masks optional. But after receiving letters from individuals such as Gov. Roy Cooper, Outer Banks Hospital President Ronnie Sloan, OBH Chief of Staff Dr. Daniel Dwyer and others, the Board called this emergency meeting and reversed course.

Starting Thursday (Sept. 2), DCS will become one of 107 North Carolina school districts that require universal masking indoors. Parents will have the option to enroll their student in virtual learning up to Sept. 6 at 5 p.m. Conversely, parents who initially enrolled their students in virtual learning can request a switch to in-person learning during this time as well. 

When asked about the masking decision, Dare County Schools Superintendent John Farrelly replied: “I think it’s the right thing to do. It’s the only avenue — outside of kids coming to school part-time — where everyone can stay in school.”

These sentiments were reflected in DCS COVID-19 updates that have tracked the number of active cases in students and teachers, as well as the number of students and teachers who are quarantined.

Beginning the first day of school, Aug. 23, 79 students were quarantined and there were 32 active cases. As of the Sept. 1 morning update, the numbers had climbed to 399 students quarantined and 78 active cases. 

Immediately following the first unanimous decision to impose universal masking, one woman held up a poster that (among other things) read: “Why do you feed processed meat, cheese, and sugar to children if you are so concerned with their safety. If you didn’t know, processed foods cause illness.”

As this woman was being escorted out of the gym by local police officers, she revealed the back of her poster and exclaimed what it read: “You are better than this!”

Exclamations like this were prominent throughout the meeting, soliciting a response from Board members. 

“This is a public meeting; act your age,” Vice-Chairman Margaret Lawler said at one point while trying to restore order.

Not all opinions were vocalized, however, as many attendants instead brought signs to display their feelings. These posters ranged from views such as, “My body, my choice,” to “Masks save lives.”

These two polar opposite views have been shared nationwide and split the country in two in countless communities. 

“Everybody believes what they believe and they base it on information that they’re reading or personal experience,” Board member Susan Bothwell said. “It’s just that we all see things through different lenses.”

According to information presented throughout the meeting by Farrelly, “Of the 399 students currently in quarantine, 350 of those students would not have been quarantined if they were wearing a face mask.”

Farrelly added that the number of instructional days missed by students in quarantine was already 5,586, just 10 days into the school year.

Eye-opening numbers such as that led Board members to shift back to masks in an attempt to help students receive an in-person education this year.

“I feel like we did the best thing we could for the kids,” Lawler said. “I want to keep you all in school, and that’s what it’s gonna take to keep you here.” 

Senior Kayla Hallac can be reached at 22hallacka85@daretolearn.org.

Senior Maggie McNinch can be reached at 22mcninchma07@daretolearn.org.