Students Segregated and Isolated from Peers at School

There was a time when the isolation and shaming of children by teachers and authority figures was frowned upon.

But what was once considered cruel and abusive is now the norm in at least one Ohio school.

Children who cannot comply with the school district’s mandatory mask policy due to an exemption are segregated from other students throughout the school day.

Ohio Statehouse News learned of the situation via a social media post and contacted the school district to confirm.

West Liberty-Salem Local School District requires all students in third grade and up to wear face coverings in order to attend in-person classes, as do other Ohio schools due to Governor DeWine’s mandatory student mask order.

Students in K-second grade are “strongly encouraged” to wear face coverings, according to the district’s website.

Superintendent Kraig Hissong confirmed that mask-exempt students are isolated behind plexiglass at their desks to prevent the potential spread of COVID and are kept apart from other students as much as possible throughout the school day.

“These are precautions that have to be taken,” said Hissong . “This is the best we can do with what we have.”

When it is necessary to leave the classroom as a group, these children are placed at the front of the line and kept apart from classmates as much as reasonably possible, he said.

“This is the best chance that they will not come in contact with others,” said Hissong.

The Superintendent said there is an online option for students that cannot wear a mask. Those who choose to attend in-person school must be “accommodated” for their safety and the safety and the safety of others.

Acquiring a medical exemption in the West Liberty-Salem Local School District requires an order from the child’s physician and must go through the county health department, said Hissong.

The exemption is subject to approval from the school administration, according to the its website.

“There are things I have to do as a superintendent,” said Hissong. “There are state directives that we need to follow. We need to make school as safe as we can.”

Hissong said there are up to six students in the district that have obtained or are in the process of obtaining a medical mask exemption.

There are 1156 students in the district, according to the website. Hissong said about 160 of them are doing online school.

“If your child refuses to wear a face covering at school, when it is required, and does not comply to school personnel when reminded to put his/her mask on, than there may be disciplinary consequences,” according to the website.

The district offers guidance on what type of mask students should wear during in-person school

More than two dozen parents have sued Ohio’s health director over the state’s mask mandate for children in schools. The case is onlging.

HB 606 was signed into law on Monday, September 16, 2020, that  temporarily shields individuals, businesses, schools, health care providers and other entities from tort liability in incidents of COVID-19 exposure or transmission through Sept. 30, 2021.

A school dashboard was recently set up on the Ohio Department of Health coronavirus page that tracks cases by district.

4 thoughts on “Students Segregated and Isolated from Peers at School”

  1. Has this man of supposed higher education actually looked at the CDC’s website in regards to how many people who have actually died from this “invisible virus?”
    Honestly I would homeschool my children they would not be educated by the communist who have taken over our school systems since the 1950s. All you have to do is look up Bella V Dodd “the school of darkness” she herself testified in front of Congress about her being a part of the beginning of the teachers union when she was a known communist and how she infiltrated the Church.
    Si vis pacem, para bellum!=If you wish peace, prepare for war!
    ✝️VIVA CRISTO REY✝️🙏

  2. It is a shame the school is so harsh with children that have mask exemptions, our school is not. There are legitimate exemptions allowed in the state mask order, and most schools have a few students with exemptions. I do not recall approval from our health department needed for mask exemptions.

    We have focused on good hand washing and surface sanitation practices, and like many schools, have used plexiglass dividers in a few areas as needed, where enough spacing is not possible.

    The Ohio Health Department school mask order is K-12, rather than 3rd-12. Preschool has different rules and masks are not required for them.

  3. I would not subject any of my children to this madness, they would most definitely be homeschooled. When this Public School system gets finished with them,they will be mentally ill.

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