We are sure the District 88 School Board will hear plenty from parents when it meets today to decide what the district’s COVID-19 masking policy will be this year. The board has three options on masking that it will be considering: recommending it but not requiring it; requiring it for kindergarten through 8th grade students through September, or requiring it for all students and staff.

At a previous board meeting where the issue was discussed — before the COVID case count began rising — those who spoke were adamant that the board should respect the rights and personal freedoms of them and their children to go maskless.

But the school district has duty that involves considering more than political issues and arguments over personal freedoms. It has to provide a space for education that is healthy and safe for students and staff.

Sadly, as the local COVID statistics show, this is not a safe time, especially for the youngest students who are too young for vaccinations, at least for now. The number of new cases has been spiking since the days of June when a mere five cases were recorded. The number of Brown County cases recorded in August 2021 is twice the number recorded in 2020, when the state mandated masks and social distancing, and even distance learning or hybrid learning in communities with high enough COVID counts.

Neither state nor federal government is mandating anything this fall, but the CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health are recommending masking for all. That leaves it up to the school board to make the decision.

The decision should be based on providing a safe environment for all students and staff. Parents would be mighty upset with the school district if it allowed students to play out in the street instead of the playground if they so desired. If they don’t want their kids dodging cars during recess, they shouldn’t want them dodging the COVID-19 virus in the halls and classrooms.

The school board will be using its best judgment on the masking issue, and we hope parents will respect that.