Did you know that students in Grand Haven Area Public Schools are being sent to detention for not properly wearing a mask?
Most teachers try to be reasonable when it comes to masking our children, but that doesn’t mean they like it. Some teachers threaten but never report students. Others pretend not to notice when masks are not worn properly. Some even negotiate with students to at least keep the mask on their mouth or chin.
But then there are the teachers who send children to MASK DETENTION for not wearing their masks properly.
This is all so confusing. Masks must be worn in hallways, but not during lunch. They must be covering the mouth and nose, but not during after school sports. They must be kept on while in class, but not at after school activities, and not during recess. According to school policy, they are not required during gym class, but teachers are enforcing masking during gym anyway. They must be worn at GHAPS, but not at the tech center, or now at the tech center, but only for the next two weeks. They must be worn in Grand Haven, but not in Allendale, or Hudsonville, or Zeeland. At school board meetings the superintendent, director of instructional services and all GHAPS board members except Marc Eickholt do not wear masks, but they force masks on our children. And to top it all off, in band they have a special mask with a hole in it.
Here is a story from a parent whose child was sent to lunch detention because of a mask violation.
So my child at Lakeshore Middle School was sent to lunch detention today. He had to sit quietly with other kids that were in trouble and not talk. Apparently, a teacher turned him in for not wearing a mask because it fell down. He doesn’t know who turned him in. Meanwhile two of his teachers have said that he is very quiet in class. When I asked if he has any friends they said well it’s hard to tell because they aren’t allowed to walk around the classroom and socialize with other kids not right next to them. Otherwise, the teachers have to jot it down in a notebook, and report it if there is an outbreak. So, what makes me mad is that they aren’t allowed to socialize in class, they are wearing masks which makes it hard to communicate, and then you send him to lunch where he is not allowed to talk. My blood is boiling!
This same parent wrote to the school board about this incident.
My 7th grade son, in Lakeshore Middle School, was sent to detention by a teacher he did not know when his mask slipped down while walking in the hallway. When I was young, detention was for a pattern of behavior for serious offenses like smoking, fighting, etc. All of his teachers have said he is a good student who is respectful and quiet. So, an unknown person wrote him up on a Friday and he gets told the following Monday that he has to go to detention and does not get lunch with friends or recess--for a mask that slipped down in the hallway. Tell me, is this ok? The principal told me that teachers are "constantly" reminding all the students to pull up their masks. Is this what they should be doing or should they be teaching the kids and reminding them that I goes before E except after C.
Is this really about keeping our children safe or is it about power and punishment for non-compliance?
Another teacher from Lakeshore Middle School, Sarah Adams, sent a kid to a hallway for just touching his mask. Here is an email from Mrs. Adams.
Students are expected to wear their masks properly (over nose and mouth) in class. We treat masks like a dress code issue. I give reminders to students daily in class. If a student still struggles with wearing their mask, I conference with them individually. I would also offer a mask break to the student if they needed it. If the non-compliance continues or if a student is choosing to not wear their mask properly, I would refer them to the principal for assistance and potentially consequences for disrespect. We give mask breaks based on individual needs and class needs. Desks in my class (and most classes) are within 1-2 feet of each other. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Perhaps Mrs. Adams and other fans of MASK DETENTION should be referred to Board Policy 3210 Staff Ethics?
An effective educational program requires the services of men and women of integrity, high ideals, and human understanding. To maintain and promote these essentials, the Board of Education expects all professional staff members to maintain high standards in their working relationships, and in the performance of their professional duties, to:
B. Responsibility to Professional Competence
3. act in the best interest of all students;C. Responsibility to Students
1. respect the rights and dignity of students;
2. demonstrate an ethic of care for students;
3. maintain student trust and confidentiality in a developmentally appropriate manner and within appropriate limits;
Again, is this really about keeping our children safe or is it about power? Is it about safety, or pleasing national and state politicians, Michigan School board representatives, MDHHS, and national teacher union representatives?
Masking is bad for student health, it makes learning more difficult, and teachers are focusing on masking instead of on teaching. It is destroying the relationship between students and teachers. Teachers are acting against board policy and none of this is okay.