Since the start of the 2021-2022 school year, students arrive each morning at Savannah-Chatham Public Schools knowing they need need a face mask. They do so with the understanding that the district will provide them a disposable face covering at no cost should they forget, lose or damage their mask.
Except at Islands High School, where until recently students faced the possibility of being charged $2 to buy a pack of five masks.
Islands administrators recently halted sales of masks to students after at least one student and multiple parents complained about the practice. Masks are required at Islands and all other Savannah-Chatham public schools, and students who forget, lose or damage their face coverings are to be given a disposable mask upon request per district policy.
Islands abides by the district policy that says students will be given disposable masks upon request, according to Principal Derrick Butler, but he acknowledges masks were offered for sale as a convenience for parents who were unable to provide masks for their children.
Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images
The masks were sold through the student-run store, known as the Surf Shop, located on campus. However, the shop is closed for renovations and items such as the mask five-packs were being sold instead through the school office - the same place students go to get free masks.
The setup has led to discrepancies in mask distribution. Last month, Islands High senior Mollie Lanigan went to the office to get a mask for her brother, who is also a student at the school. Lanigan said she was told that it was getting too expensive for the school to provide masks for free and paid $2 for a five pack of masks.
"I just feel like...since we're a public school and you're mandating them that you should be able to provide them,” Lanigan said. She also expressed concerns for classmates who didn’t have money to pay for the masks.
A parent of another Islands student said his child had a similar experience. A teacher sent his daughter to the office for a new mask where she was charged for the face covering. In response, the parent, who asked to remain anonymous out of concerns about retaliation, sent a box of 50 masks to the teacher with a request to distribute the masks to students in need rather than send them to the office to purchase a mask.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
He also filed a complaint with the school. He said his main question was why students were paying for masks that were intended to be provided as personal protective equipment through CARES Act and America Rescue Plan Act funds.
Since the pandemic began, the district has received around $61.1 million in federal funds which include: $10.9 million in CARES I, $44.08 million in CARES II and $6.8 million in other federal money. The district expects to receive an additional $95 million in money from the American Rescue Plan.
The parent who filed the complaint expressed frustration with SCCPSS leadership and said that the district needed to provide clearer guidelines to parents and the community.
Not all Islands students in need of masks have been charged for the face coverings. School Board Shawn Kachmar said his child didn't have to pay for a mask.
According to SCCPSS Communications Director Sheila Blanco, the masks put up for sale at Islands High School were purchased by the school with regular activity funds, not federal dollars, and she was not sure of other schools in the district that were not charging for masks.
The complaint was filed the week of Jan. 17 and the principal, Butler, said the school stopped selling masks on Jan. 24. However, a newsletter sent to parents on Jan. 23 included the following note: “We will provide each student with a mask this week. Additionally, for convenience we will have masks available in our Surf Shop for purchase this semester (5 masks for $2).”
The following week's newsletter made no mention of masks. The Feb.6 newsletter included a note that explains that students are expected to arrive to school with a mask but that one will be provided for free by request.
Bianca Moorman is the education reporter. Reach her at BMoorman@gannett.com or 912-239-7706. Find her on Twitter @biancarmoorman.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Islands High School halts sale of COVID-19 masks after students, parents question practice
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