CRANBERRY TWP — As students pile onto school buses and into classrooms in Seneca Valley, parents' opinions on the recent mask mandate remains split.

The board on Monday voted to implement a universal face covering mandate for all individuals in Seneca Valley School District, while Butler County remains in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's two highest levels of community COVID-19 transmission.

The contentious issue drew more than 90 minutes of comment at the meeting Monday night, and many of the topics addressed by speakers were reiterated Tuesday by parents who hadn't spoken to the board.

Those in support of the mandate said it helps lower the risk of disruptions to children's education, while those who wanted masks to remain optional thought it should be the parents, rather than the school board, who decides.

For many parents who support the mandate, the No. 1 goal of it is to minimize the risk of educational disruptions. In their view, mandatory masking decreases the likelihood Seneca will move to a blended or virtual learning model, which they said was less effective at educating their children than in-person learning.Parents on the other side of the aisle — those who believe masking is a decision best left to the parents — were largely of the opinion that masks, themselves, impede education.Jen Forsyth of Cranberry, who has two children in school, said on Tuesday her middle school-aged daughter has suffered emotional and educational consequences as a result of the shifts in educational models during 2020.“She needs to be back in school without interruption,” Forsyth said. “If wearing masks is what it takes to do it, then that's what I'm in favor of. Additional closures and quarantines will destroy my child.”On Monday, Nathan McCollough of Cranberry told the school board he fears masks are having a severe detrimental impact on students, both mentally and in the classroom.“We're creating learning disabilities, every day,” he said. “The damage that we are doing to these children is astronomical, and, yes, there is no data on that now, but there will be.”John Ciganik of Cranberry said on Tuesday that his two middle school-aged children will benefit more from the assurance students will not be out of school for two weeks as a result of COVID-19 transmission.“I think, on a minimal level, you might have the occasional disruption, but there are lots of disruptions that can occur in a classroom,” he said. “What's even more disruptive than masking is if there's an outbreak and dozens and dozens of students have to quarantine for two weeks.”Jodie Freedman, who spoke to the board Monday but did not respond Tuesday to additional requests for comment, said masks have a direct and negative impact on education in the classroom.“We need our teachers to focus on teaching and stop worrying about who's wearing their mask correctly,” she said.

Parents of every opinion on the issue seized on a sentiment school board president Eric DiTullio shared in his remarks before voting Monday.DiTullio said he is disappointed both the state health and education departments are leaving the masking decision to local school boards, saying they “are passing the buck.”Both the state departments of education and health advised Pennsylvania school boards to follow CDC guidance, which “recommends universal indoor masking by all students ... staff, teachers and visitors.”Elizabeth McCollough of Cranberry said the recommendation, rather than the edict, to wear masks should have made the board's decision easy.“The recommendations ... are all stating that masks are recommended,” she said. “They are not required. There's not a mandate, and mandates are not laws. So if the CDC and the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) are recommending it, then that is what these elected officials should follow. They've gone against everything they were elected for.”Conversely, Chris Droesch of Cranberry, who has an elementary school-aged child, said he is also disappointed by the lack of a statewide mandate but agrees with the board's ultimate outcome.“I'm proud of the board for stepping up and leading,” he said. “I don't see eye-to-eye with Mr. DiTullio on a lot of issues, but I agree with his assessment that the governor's office is passing the buck to the school board. I commend the school board for their courage to stand up and to keep the politics out of our schools, to follow the science and to listen to experts in the medical and scientific communities.”