The Jan. 25 Saucon Valley School Board meeting was predictably contentious. However, unlike the neighboring Southern Lehigh board the prior evening, Saucon ultimately decided to make no changes to its Health and Safety Plan.

Masks were again the foremost topic of discussion, as the majority of attendees and board member Edward Andres were again unmasked, despite the district’s stated policy. Additionally, Tracy Magnotta was not present.

First, Board President Dr. Shamim Pakzad announced that the first round of superintendent candidate interviews was completed and the field narrowed. The second round of interviews would commence the following week, he said. Additionally, Interim Superintendent Jaime Vlasaty announced that kindergarten registration would open Feb. 7.

In the public comment portion pertaining only to items listed on the meeting’s agenda, several parents spoke in favor of moving to fully-optional masking, regardless of case counts or other factors.

One district parent - Amy Ramsberger, a local healthcare professional - urged the board to follow Southern Lehigh’s lead in dropping St. Luke’s from its Health and Safety advisory board. The segment lasted for over a half-hour as approximately a half-dozen people spoke.

In preparation for the ensuing Health and Safety Plan discussion, Vlasaty commented, “The administration (and) I do not believe that any revisions or amendments need to be made” to the plan as she said, “given the numbers” it still allows “flexibility.”

Andres says it gives the administration flexibility, but not parents. He referenced the initial plan at the beginning of the year, which was overridden by the Pa. Department of Health’s order, which was rescinded in December. The district experienced one week of masks being optional under the current plan before cases rose due to the Omicron surge.

Andres and several parents made references to the CDC recently acknowledging that cloth masks aren’t as effective as KN95 and N95 ones in preventing COVID spread, but did not advocate for the distribution of appropriate protection.

Andres attempted to reframe the debate from being “pro-mask vs. anti-mask” to “pro-parent choice vs. anti-parent choice,” he said. He suggested adding a motion to end mandatory masking to the agenda immediately.

Board member Michael Karabin asked Vlasaty whether she “had a gauge” on the split between teachers and staff on the issue. She replied that via contact with the district’s Teachers’ Association, “the majority” would prefer to remain under the current plan. Several crowd members began interrupting her, as Pakzad reminded them of the meeting’s structure.

Board Vice President Susan Baxter removed her mask to indicate that she was not willing to move forward with a motion that evening, which drew more interruptions from attendees. Solicitor Mark Fitzgerald stepped in, saying, “this is time for the board to discuss, this is not a public comment section… there (are) specific times for public comment.”

Baxter continued, saying she agreed with “the concerns of those in the audience,” but added that the board must balance those concerns “with having a workforce come to school.”

Board member Shawn Welch – who, along with Andres and Bryan Eichfeld, has consistently voiced his opinion that the COVID-19 pandemic is a “con” – came out against making any changes to the plan as it’s currently written. The “flexibility” which Vlasaty referred to in her statement, Welch said, could be lost, as he acknowledged that there are “many opinions” throughout the community.

Andres pushed back, as when Welch said that Vlasaty is “trying to make decisions for everybody,” “that’s the problem,” Andres said. He continued on the theme of “parent choice,” stressing that his criticism was not directed at Vlasaty specifically.

Board member Cedric Dettmar, who has mostly remained quiet on the topic during previous meetings, asked for a measured approach. “I’d just like to ask everybody to remember that (we) are part of a community…” he said. “In order for our school to keep working, people have to be willing to come together every day.”

Pakzad spoke in agreement, saying that moving “a little slower” is the better option. He suggested looking at what happens with the aforementioned Southern Lehigh decision and using that to help inform how Saucon proceeds. He also reminded the board of the drastic case increase when the Nazareth Area School District moved to optional masking in December 2021, which led to schools going fully virtual for a period.

Ultimately, Andres made a motion to add potential changes to the plan, but only he and Eichfeld voted ‘yes,’ leaving several of the same attendees to comment again to express their disappointment and frustration in the closing public comment portion of the meeting.