Tuesday night’s River Valley School Board Meeting came to an end suddenly after the citizens in attendance started an argument with some of the board members in attendance.
The issues at the center of the disruption during the public comment section at the end of the meeting concerned mask mandates, the exact cost of the recent redistricting action, and the lack of communication between the community and members of the board and superintendent Phillip Martel. While board member Holly Hall was promised time to speak at the end of the meeting, that did not happen as the disruption caused board president Rick Harper to call for a motion to end the meeting.
After the meeting, Hall said that she wanted to congratulate those who were asking questions of the board, and for paying attention to what’s going on in the district.
She also wanted to ask Martel about other issues, but was told that she would have to file a right to know request.
Harper expressed his frustration about having to end the meeting early.
One concern that was answered concerned the face mask mandate and the recent lawsuits going through Commonwealth Court. Harper said that if the mandate was lifted, he felt that the district would go back to how it was before the mandate was put in effect, with masking being optional.
