Masks will no longer be mandated at Kingfisher Public Schools after a split vote Monday by the district board of education.

Board members voted 4-1 to remove the mandate for students and staff to wear masks. The mandate had been in place since the beginning of the current school year.

The motion – made by Jim Perdue and seconded by Charles Walker – eliminates the district-wide requirement but allows each individual teacher to have the option to require masks in his or her classroom.

Also, if any building in the district hits the mark of a 1% COVID-19 positivity rate, the mandate will go back into effect for the rest of the school year.

The policy change goes into effect immediately.

Carly Franks and Mike Copeland joined Perdue and Walker to approve the policy.

Dana Golbek voted against the measure.

“We’re six weeks away from the end of school,” Golbek said. “Why don’t we just do masks?”

Golbek echoed the sentiments of two teachers who addressed the board prior to discussion.

Dr. A.J. Johnson and Sharon Clark – both teachers at the high school – said they were in favor of mandating masks through the end of the school year.

“I trust medical professionals when it comes to how we can keep medically safer,” Johnson said. “A local physician told me it’s better to err on the side of safety.

“By continuing to require masks and other protocols, no one will be harmed.”

Melody Kuehn, a fourth grade teacher, spoke in favor of removing the mandate.

She noted local businesses and churches aren’t requiring masks for entry.

“It is time to release us and the kids from requiring them,” Kuehn said.

Clark agreed with Johnson.

“It’s the best thing for us right now,” she said. “Why change?”

Diann Magnus, the district’s choral director, echoed Kuehn’s sentiments.

“It’s time to move on,” she said.

Superintendent Jason Sternberger provided the board with the most recent color-coded map from the Oklahoma State Department of Health – more specifically, Kingfisher County – that showed declining numbers of cases per 100,000 people.

“The feedback I get would completely support [removing the mandate],” Sternberger said. “If teachers in their classrooms want the masks, students would be required. It’s not the student’s option at that time.”

Masks won’t be required in common areas such as the hallways and cafeteria, Sternberger said.

Any visitors to the district buildings will still be required to wear a mask, Sternberger said.

He also noted a recent federal mandate requiring masks to be worn while in a school bus.

There are approximately 400 students each at Gilmour, the middle school and the high school, meaning the threshold to revert the policy is four new positive cases.

There are about 200 students at Heritage, putting the number at two.

The four teachers spoke during the public participation portion of the meeting.