As Election Nears, Student Mask Protests Still On People's Minds
On the first day of school in Shenandoah County, students were free to attend classes with no Covid-19 mask requirements. Two days later, that suddenly changed due to mandates from Richmond followed by the Shenandoah County School Board. A few students decided to stand up and push back against the sudden mandate by organizing a student protest.
Almost 100 Shenandoah County high school students took part in the county wide walkout.
Central High School in Woodstock had the largest number of protesters, and some students did not return inside for classes after walking out at 9:30 a.m.
Central students Russell Allen, Destiny Ogle, Jordan Shoemaker and Noah Teets were the primary organizers of the walkouts.
When asked why he was organizing."On the first two days of school, we came back, we didn't have to wear a mask," Teets said. "We wanted the choice of being able to go virtual if that was going to be mandated". Russell added that he wanted to "take action and stand up for his rights".
Unfortunately the School District does not have such an option unless students are already pre-approved for virtual learning . Limited resources and staff have prevented this as a widespread alternative according to Superintendent Melody Sheppard.
Assistant Superintendent David
Hinegardner was present during the initial walkout and wrote in an email that everything "ended peacefully" in regards to that day.
However, for some of the student activists, they were not ready to stop at that point.
They decided to continue their protest by not wearing masks on the following school day. They were denied entry to their school and were forced to wait outside if they wouldn't wear masks. Parents and other citizens supported them by bringing food and a tent to shelter the students over the next few days. The students who still remained in the protest were physically denied entry one day, (one had a cellphone snatched by a school administrator during a verbal exchange outside of the school), and were given entry on a following day without masks, only to be called out of class individually to talk with administrators. It was at this point that they were given the chance to '"wear masks or leave the school," said Shoemaker. The protests continued however, with the students remaining and attempting to do their schoolwork outside of the school. They reported eventually being asked to move their protest to the School Board Office and also state they were incessantly bullied in person and online by other students and felt unsupported by School Disrict Employees during this endeavor.
When asked if standing up and protesting was worth losing her opportunity to participate in Central High School's Cheer program, Abby Ogle profoundly stated "Yes, absolutely."
These students faced a ultimatum of wear a mask or be suspended. That boiled down to "No mask, no education" according to their parents.
Around this point Hinegardner seemingly changed his stance on this event being a
"Peaceful" activity. In an August 24, 2021 letter to Russell Allen's mother, he stated that it "was quite the opposite", citing numerous staff hours and personnel being needed to deal with the refusal to wear masks.
When asked if this was a peaceful protest, Superintendent Sheppard stated "Yes it was".
Sheppard also said that the issues regarding other students seen on videos and pictures inside schools and buses subsequently were "being addressed."
Since the outset of this situation, these children have not only stood up for what they believe in, but have faced consequences for their actions, yet still carried on. Bullying, suspensions, loss of membership on athletic teams, are all severe repercussions for teenagers. Regardless of one's political stance on the mask issue, these kids should be admired as their future in leadership is certainly bright.
This situation has also caused a couple of them to begin homeschooling as it offers an alternative for their education. There are many resources available for those who are interested in exploring other educational options. Please contact the Freedom Press via email for further information: Fpmedia62@gmail.com.
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