KARNS CITY — Karns City students must provide a medical exemption if they decline to wear a mask in the classroom.

The school board revised the district’s health and safety plan Monday.

Under the previous plan, students did not need a medical exemption if they chose not to wear a mask.

Parents in attendance at the school board’s Monday meeting expressed frustration over mask mandates and questioned board members as to how long they were going to comply with regulations.

One concerned attendee said, “You are elected by the people, so why aren’t you working for the people?”

Ken Bray of Karns City asked the board toward the end of the public comment portion of the meeting to consider the pros and cons.

“We understand your hands are tied,” Bray said.

In other business, school board members moved in favor of increased pay for sports officials in varsity soccer and varsity football to $80 per game. 

The school board approved field trips, including the participation of the debate team in Pittsburgh events and the school band’s trip to Gettysburg during the spring semester. The latter trip hinges on COVID-19 restrictions. 

The board voted to declare buildings on purchased land of no value and to move forward with the construction project at Chicora Elementary. This will require the destruction of structures on the property. According to the proposed schedule, construction would begin in February 2022.

The district has discussed a $21.7 million plan to consolidate Sugarcreek Elementary into Chicora Elementary by the 2023 school year.

The district has been working on a plan to renovate and expand Chicora for a few years because Sugarcreek is aging and has the lowest number of students of the three schools in the district. There are 1,317 students in the district’s three schools.

The board on Monday also approved the hiring of three substitute teachers, three custodians and two cafeteria workers.