DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — The debate of whether children should wear masks or not when heading back to school continues.
Three school boards in the South Central PA region have held meetings to discuss the issue; Cumberland Valley, Lower Dauphin, and Susquehanna Township School Districts.
The Susquehanna Township School District has reversed course from its August 2nd announcement of requiring face coverings to now making it optional. A decision that has some parents confused.
"We've all worked under the assumption that they would have mandatory masks in school for this year and obviously, this sudden switch-a-roo gave a lot of folks
whip-lash.” said Jonathan Hjelm of Susquehanna Township.
Hjelm says he is against the new decision because the science or CDC guidelines suggest masks are the best way to keep those who cannot get vaccinated safe and explains he cannot comprehend the new policy.
"Is this purely political? There cannot be any reason or any evidence or data to support their position."
On the other hand, other parents say they just want to have a choice.
"If you are afraid, and you're worried about your kid, tell your kid to wear a mask. Don't force us to do something we don't want to do,” said Michael Inman of Harrisburg.
Inman is a parent of two children in the district, one heading to kindergarten and another who is 8, continuing with grammar school. He says he hopes his kids can go to school normally again.
"They want to be able to smile at the other kid and you're looking at this kid and all you see is their eyes you don't see the story, you don't see the life in what they're actually experiencing,” Inman said.
Parents who attended the board meeting are still on opposing sides of the mask issue but are all in agreement, they want their children to be back to in-person learning.