Heated debate: Dover School Board candidates talks masks and lawsuit

DOVER — The city school district's mask requirements amid the coronavirus pandemic, the anti-mask mandate lawsuit against the district and mental health were hot topics during a School Board candidates forum Wednesday night.

The third and final city candidates forum, organized by the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce, included candidates competing for seats representing Wards 4-6 on the ballot for the city's Nov. 2 election.

Participating in the forum were Ward 4 candidates Jaime Berggren and Micaela Demeter, Ward 5 candidates incumbent Jessica Rozzo and Carolyn Carr, and Ward 6 candidates Emily Lyon and Michelle Clancy.

Candidates divided by mask mandates

Many of the points raised by candidates Berggren and Carr against the mask mandate mirror arguments raised in a lawsuit against the district.

The lawsuit filed earlier this month challenged the adoption of mask mandates in eight local districts, including Dover. Lawsuits claimed masks are "harmful" and have "no benefit," and that the coronavirus has had “no effect on children.” These claims are, however, counter to public health expert guidance at all levels.

The discussion involving Ward 5 candidates Rozzo and Carr was heated. The audience was asked to quiet down during Carr’s remarks, when she minimized the health risks the pandemic poses to children.

“There is no evidence to the efficacy of masks,” Carr said. “Zero children in the state of New Hampshire have died from COVID. It’s more statistically likely to die in a car accident, so are we going around telling everybody to wear seatbelts and mandating that? No. Kids are safe .. If the efficacy of masks has not been proven, under no conditions should school districts be mandating masks.”

Rozzo corrected Carr, noting New Hampshire law requires children under 18 wear seat belts. She called out Carr’s claim that children are not being affected by the pandemic, too, stating firmly that “they're being affected.”

“To say that children are not being affected: 1.5 million children have lost a primary or a secondary caregiver to this disease,” Rozzo said. “To say that they're not being affected is completely false. Children need to be masked, because they need to be in school, to keep them in school. For anyone to say otherwise, they're not reading the studies.”

The Dover School District's mask mandate in times of "substantial" transmission of COVID-19 aligns with guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Strafford County Public Health Network, which have all recommended that all staff and students over age 2 wear masks inside schools.

Voters guide to the Dover 2021 election: When, where, and who is on the ballot

Berggren’s argument was similar to Carr’s. She stated that wearing masks should be left up to the parents, not the School Board.

“Children have almost zero risk in this,” Berggren said. “I trust the parents to make the right decisions for their children, period. I will always support that.”

Lyon noted there is a lot of talk in the district about promoting diversity, equity and inclusion as well as supporting overall health and well-being for all students and staff. She believes masks fall into these categories. She questioned why the district candidates talk a lot about mental health but do not talk about why special exemptions weren’t granted by the district for mask wearing.

Candidates Clancy and Demeter said that the focus should be less on masks and more on keeping students in school – even if that means wearing masks for now.

“To the end of keeping kids in school, they need to be masked,” Clancy said. “What's bad for their mental health is being away from school, being separated from their peers and from their teachers, and not having a structure of personal contact with the people who are teaching them.”

Demeter said lessons drawn from the pandemic’s effect on the district last year point to the importance of in-person education.

“We need our students to stay in school,” Demeter said. “The evidence is abundant and there's really no refuting that. To keep our kids in school, we keep our kids in masks for right now. That conversation will change as we get down the road as the students have an ability to be able to get vaccinated. Right now that's not the reality.”

‘No involvement’

Berggren denied involvement with the lawsuit against the district and commented for the first time about a separate nonprofit group with a name similar to the one suing Dover and seven other local districts.

What the lawsuit says: Anti-mask suit targets Dover, Somersworth, Rochester, Oyster River schools. Who is behind it?

A nonprofit called Parents Rights for Children's Health, very similar to the name of the group suing Dover schools, was started last month by a few Dover School Board candidates who were supporters of a recent anti-mask mandate policy petition, which called for a citywide vote on mask policy. The petition was rejected by the current Dover School Board, which noted it cited laws that apply to towns while Dover has a city form of government.

Dover School Board candidates Jaime Berggren, Laura Morreale and Emily Lyon are listed as incorporators of the nonprofit, which bears the same mission statement as the Parents Unite nonprofit that is suing the district. Berggren's address is listed as the nonprofit's address. Berggren, Morreale and Lyon are three of the six School Board candidates who signed the failed anti-mask mandate policy petition. The key flaw was Dover is a city and operates under different rules.

None of the candidates have returned Foster’s requests for comment on the intentions of the nonprofit. Berggren was questioned about it at the candidates forum.

“There are no ties to myself in this lawsuit, my nonprofit is completely separate and different,” Berggren said. “I was looking into what I needed for this group, which was to support parents and children that were facing difficulties with these types of mandates unlawfully being put in place. I searched online. The information that I found was public information. The same way that I found the other nonprofits that were supporting parents and children (who) are facing difficulties. They found the exact same information.”

Demeter countered, stating Berggren's biggest campaign supporter was Dover resident Michael Callahan, the incorporator of the nonprofit that is suing the Dover School District. Berggren responded by stating anyone has the right to donate to a campaign. (According to city records, Callahan donated $500 to Berggren.)

Demeter called the lawsuit absurd, disappointing and disruptive.

“I can't believe that a group of parents and community members have taken the time and energy and resources in our school district to waste on something like this,” Demeter said. “It has been troubling, all of the different connections that some of the current candidates have had to this lawsuit. It's something that we all need to be paying attention to.”

More concerns raised on transparency and other topics

Other concerns raised and debated by candidates include mental health and transparency.

Candidates Demeter, Rozzo and Clancy praised the district for their efforts in increasing mental health awareness through a series of Mental Health First Aid training for teachers and students.

Taxes in Dover: Property taxes front and center in City Council candidates forum

Masks and money: Dover School Board wards 1-2 and at-large candidates debate issues

“The conversation about mental health is really taking a front seat, and I think it's really important for us to do that because Dover has seen some truly truly tragic losses over the past few years, students dying by suicide, and that's something that has shaken us rightfully so,” Demeter said. “It's a web and a network of support that we're building, a little bit by little bit, but that's how Dover is going to thrive is by promoting and prioritizing mental health.”

Carr said there is a cost of mandating masks because of how it affects children.

“Our kids are depressed, they're disconnected,” Carr said. “People are saying ‘the kids are fine wearing masks and they're adaptable.’ They are, but there is a cost to this … I can tell you it's not helping their mental health.”

When it comes to transparency, the biggest argument by Carr was how inaccessible the budget process is to the general public, echoing comments from candidates in other wards in the previous forum.

Rozzo disagreed, stating that the reason the budget season starts as early as it does is to give voters ample time to be involved in city workshops, public forums and presentations to better understand the budget, which can be found on the city’s website.

Adding to the claims of a lack of district transparency, Carr and Berggren said some parents’ voices aren’t being heard.

“What's missing (in the district) is listening to parents' voices and considering them when making decisions in schools,” Carr said. “Parents are the primary stakeholder in their child's education. And anyone that says otherwise is wrong. Parents' voices need to be heard, period.”

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Dover NH School Board candidates debate masks, anti-mask lawsuit