A special joint meeting of the Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center school boards was held Thursday night about face mask procedures.

This meeting followed the Guthrie Center Board’s regular meeting on Monday in which they decided to do further research before enacting a face mask policy. Guthrie County Public Health Director Jotham Arber attended the joint meeting to explain why he is recommending local school districts enforce a mask requirement in order to keep more students at school rather than in quarantine. This recommendation came after the state changed its quarantine requirements to allow students and staff who have been in contact with a positive case to not have to quarantine if the positive individual and others are all wearing face masks.

Parents, school board members, staff, and administrators all spoke on both sides of the issue, some afraid of a negative mental or physical impact the masks could have. Arber explained that under a mask mandate, masks would only need to be worn when social distancing can’t be maintained, and would not have to be required for activities like recess or physical education. Following about an hour and a half of discussion, Guthrie Center School Board Member Wanda Knobbe motioned that they make a temporary mask requirement as drafted by Superintendent Dennis McClain. The motion died due to a lack of a second, and the meeting then adjourned.