CRANBERRY TWP — Seneca Valley superintendent Tracy Vitale's COVID-19 update Monday contained more than local viral data: She also sought help from the community.

The superintendent's update included what a later speaker called a “sobering” update on staffing, with Vitale asking the community for cafeteria, transportation and teaching help.

“Every district in Butler County — and in Allegheny County — is experiencing this shortage,” Vitale said. “We need bus drivers. We need cafeteria workers. We need teacher (substitutes).”

Although Gov. Tom Wolf's emergency declaration was terminated, Vitale said there are some ways community members can become substitute teachers during the pandemic. Local residents with college degrees can obtain an emergency certification as a teacher in Pennsylvania, Vitale said, and while there are restrictions on how frequently the emergency certified teachers can be in the classroom, the superintendent said it would still be helpful.

“Our goal has always been to keep our employees and students safe and to keep the doors open physically, and so I am pleading with the public to please contact our HR department if you can help us as a teacher sub, even if it's only once a week, or if you can drive buses for us, or if you can work in our cafeteria or work as a sub to our custodians,” she said. “It would be greatly appreciated, and it would be helping out our children.”

Mask debate continues

While the state took the decision on whether to mask students and staff out of local schools' hands, parents still logged into the virtual meeting Monday to thank or critique the board's August decision to implement mandatory masking.

Of the 14 community members who spoke during the meeting, many continued the masking debate which has raged for months in Seneca Valley.

John Ciganek, who has two children in the district, criticized comments from parents opposing mask mandates. He highlighted statements such as “only 400 children have died,” or “people that have died of pre-existing conditions” had no place in Seneca Valley.

“Make no mistake about it: We should reject such statements unequivocally,” Ciganek said. “The folks in our communities that have comorbidities — whether adults or children — are not expendable, and now more than ever they need to know that many of us have their backs.”

While several of the speakers thanked the board for implementing a mask mandate prior to the first day of school, others were unimpressed. Erin McClymonds, who has spoken against such mandates at several prior meetings, said she wanted to see more quantifiable data about support for masking in the community and suggested the board poll residents prior to implementing similar measures.

Stephanie Lane echoed McClymonds' comment, saying she is “pro-choice with masks and vaccines” and wants to see more solicitations for community input on critical issues such as masking. She also criticized masking generally and compared the wearing of a mask to the death of George Floyd, who was murdered by a police officer who pressed his knee into the back of Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.

“Let's get back to teachers and administration focusing on kids and teachers and not being mask police,” Lane said. “George Floyd put it best: 'I can't breathe.'”

Other parents — such as Dennis Davis and Angela Priddy — took their four minutes to express gratitude or appreciation for the proactive masking policy.