Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Topics commented on included critical race theory
Colfax school board members Brian Becker (left) and Terry Huber listen to public input on July 26 alongside Superintendent Jerry Pugh.
COLFAX — About 80 people attended the Colfax School District board meeting to comment on mandatory mask-wearing, critical race theory, and more.
The meeting was moved to the school auditorium on July 26.
People spoke at a microphone using their three minutes of allotted time to express their opinions.
"We're here to listen," said board President Terry Huber.
Teacher Christopher Clausen spoke in support of the board and its "partnership" with the Colfax Education Association. He is the president.
Ronda Penwell, a history teacher at the high school, talked about her three daughters and cited studies that showed that masks are not effective, instead of causing fatigue, headaches, panic attacks, and stress for not seeing faces lowering the immune system.
"It seems like we're in a time when our children are a bit targeted," she said.
She noted quotes from Vladimir Lenin and Adolph Hitler while saying this is in no way at that level.
"If you want there to be changes, you go to our youth," she said. "I'd like to have mask choice within schools."
The first round of applause burst from the seats.
Todd Kinley, a local pastor, coach, and substitute teacher spoke.
"My son has had COVID ... he has more immunity than those who have had a shot," he said.
Then he talked about critical race theory, suggesting the district has taught it to teachers and that they should not have.
"Could we get all of that training as soon as possible?" he asked. "My son ... could be taught his parents are racist or a colonizer because of the color of their skin. I don't care if we get sued."
Stacy Aune, a Spanish teacher at the high school, talked about how Washington is in the minority of states with mandates, saying she just spent a month in Oklahoma with no masks.
"Those are choices, and we as Americans need choices," said Aune. "We are being played ... we need to get back to life."
She talked further about masks, saying students are "not getting the oxygen they need" and that "with a mask on you can't tell what kids are thinking ... I have to talk all day through the mask, it's exhausting."
Another woman said her daughter was asked to be on the "mask police" at school.
"I am not teaching my daughter to be a tattletale. Please don't do that to our children," she said.
Tiffany Startin spoke of her concerns about the district.
"As an insurance professional, the absence of a mask will not negate your coverage," she said.
She talked about survival rates of children and COVID-19, and comparable annual deaths from school bus accidents, and cited information that 25% of children developed anxiety as one of the side effects of masks.
"Shame (and) guilt are dangerous emotions," she said. "You will have the unique opportunity to be leaders in our community, and be heroes."
Colfax school nurse Amber Sellers, talked about carbon dioxide levels in kids wearing masks "over six times higher than (an) unsafe threshold."
Lindsay Mellor spoke saying she home-schooled her kids last year but did not want to do it this year as she is having another baby.
She talked about the comprehensive sex education bill that passed in 2020, which teaches social-emotional learning in the early grades.
"If my 4-year-old has to listen to that, that's not education," she said.
She touched on critical race theory.
"It'll teach that if you're white, and you're a man and you're a Christian, you are the worst of the worst and you owe the world everything."
Mellor talked about "the bullies in Olympia," and asserted the board to know "you have a community that will back you up."
Another woman spoke about the onset of the virus in March 2020, a time of "no treatments and no vaccines, and now we do."
"The benefits of masking are slim," she said, lamenting "Physical, mental, emotional and academic risks of forced masking. Stop the forcing of masks on our children. We need to determine the risks worth taking."
Tyler Startin walked to the microphone, in dusty boots, jeans, and a T-shirt.
He said he had nothing prepared, that he "should be on the combine right now."
He talked about when kids are away from school, masks are not worn.
"We're with each other all the time – there's no masks. Where is the consistency?" he said. "In sports, they're required to wear a mask but it's not even over their nose or mouth. If masks work, which I suspect they don't from what I've read, we are not wearing them well enough to get the job done."
Another man gave input, saying he was a longtime worker in emergency rooms and talked about different types of masks, telling the masked school board and Superintendent Jerry Pugh, "All of you are wearing nice masks, not a one of those is going to stop a virus."
Boardmember Jennifer Hauser was not present at the meeting.
The Colfax board has not mandated masks. In Washington, unlike Idaho, the decisions have been kept central to the governor's office. In Idaho, it is left to the counties and individual districts.
Any studies or data alluded to in this article from speakers has not been verified by the Gazette.
"Without seeing the actual citation of their source, I will say that the arguments they are presenting are consistent with current misinformation campaigns that are going around social media," said Chris Skidmore, Whitman County Public Health director. "The statements made don't sound like they came from any peer-reviewed source. At the end of the day, wearing a mask is an effective way to combat all respiratory viruses."
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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