St. Mary Parish School Board President Kenny Alfred, School Board Vice-President Marilyn LaSalle and School Board Member Mike Taylor, discussing the practice of wearing masks inside school buildings.

CENTERVILLE — The St. Mary Parish School Board voted Thursday to make masks optional for all students and personnel who are inside classrooms this fall.

But the school board also agreed to make masks mandatory for all students and personnel who are riding school buses after learning the practice is one of the requirements of a presidential decree based upon CDC guidance for the upcoming school year.

School board member Mike Taylor made the motion after Superintendent Teresa Bagwell suggested that masks be optional but recommended for the upcoming school year.

Before votes were cast, school board members Pearl Rack and Sylvia Lockett questioned Bagwell over the policies.

Rack asked if the optional requirement applied to students who are not vaccinated, and Lockett asked whether students or personnel will be asked to prove if they are vaccinated.

Bagwell said students and personnel who are not vaccinated will have a choice as to whether they will wear a mask.

Regarding vaccination proof, Bagwell told Lockett that it would be against HIPAA violations for the board to ask a student or staff member if they are vaccinated.

Afterward, when Board President Kenny Alfred called for a vote on the matter, Lockett and Rack were the only board members to cast nay votes.

Lockett said she voted no because she lost four family members to COVID-19: her oldest brother, two first cousins and one sorority sister.

“I’m wearing my mask forever, until COVID-19 goes down and out,” she said.

“St. Mary Parish has one of the lowest percentages of people who are vaccinated and one of the highest upticks of the virus. We need to get more folks vaccinated, and we all need to wear our masks.”

“We live in multi-generational homes now. Germs can spread from the child, to the mother, to the grandmother and the great-grandmother. I can guarantee you there will be children and some staff inside our classrooms this fall, who are not vaccinated, and who will come down with COVID-19. It is going to be very sad to watch.”

Currently, CDC guidance requires that persons age 2 or older should wear masks indoors if they are not vaccinated, to reduce the transmission risk of COVID-19.

It also states that if school administrators decide to remove any CDC strategy, like mask wearing or social distancing, they should do so one practice at a time, and monitor the results closely with adequate testing.

Dr. Gary Wiltz, CEO of Teche Action Clinic in Franklin, said he is very concerned about the ample supply of vaccine, and the large amount of people who are not interested in “taking something that will save their life.”

“Frankly, I am at a loss — I don’t know what’s it going to take for people to wake up and realize that COVID-19 is now preventable because of the vaccine, which this president has made readily available.”

Wiltz said area senior citizens jumped on board, and so did older baby boomers.

“Now, we’re making a push to vaccinate school children, teens and young adults. We have the product — and it’s free. Just call our vaccine hotline at 337-940-1313.”

“Again, this isn’t the virus you’re being injected with, but rather a protein. It’s science tested and safe.”

Region 3 La. Dept of Health Director Dr. Chip Riggins, said the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases and positivity rates, “is very hard to watch.”

He cited positivity parish percentages that have climbed: in St. Mary, from 6.3 to 7 percent; in Iberia from 4.8 to 6.3 percent and in St. Martin from 5.6 to 9 percent.

“With the uptick in cases, and while the vaccine is super effective in preventing hospital and bad outcomes, it maybe not perfect for some, but wearing a mask should be mandatory for those persons who are not vaccinated. It is the logical and thoughtful thing to do,” Riggins said.

“If the public could check the medical records of the people who are in the hospital with COVID-19, they would find persons who did not take the vaccine, not the ones who did.”

“You know the ones that are waiting to see how their friends and neighbors fare by getting vaccinated? Well I hope they are watching!”

Riggins said in no way is the state in COVID-19 heard immunity; as if we are all immune to COVID.

“It’s just heartbreaking to hear the stories now, more than ever, because there is plenty of vaccine available, and it’s everywhere.”