A Pediatrician Joined the School Board During Covid-19. Her Face Mask Recommendations Could Cost Job
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A Pediatrician Joined the School Board During Covid-19. Her Face Mask Recommendations Could Cost Her the Job.
FARGO, N.D.—When pediatrician Tracie Newman ran for school board here last year, so many residents were eager for her expert help guiding students through the pandemic that there was a waiting list for her campaign lawn signs. Now, some of those same parents are backing a recall campaign to get her off the board. They say her recommendation that children wear masks this fall oversteps their right as parents to determine what is best for kids’ health and education. They have gathered thousands of signatures to remove her from the board, organized protests and questioned Dr. Newman’s integrity at school-board meetings.
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The effort to oust Dr. Newman is one of more than 60 recall efforts of board members this year in school districts across the country, according to election-data website Ballotpedia. That is the most in the 15 years Ballotpedia has kept track. Some 60% mention Covid-19 restrictions as a motivation to unseat board members.
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A few months ago, Dr. Newman received a Hero Award from Sanford Health, the regional hospital system where she works, for her dedication and leadership in getting children safely back in school. The local YWCA nominated her to be Woman of the Year. Now she’s entering school-board meetings through a back door to avoid angry parents. People sent photos of her unmasked at a gala event to the local paper, saying they were evidence of her hypocrisy. She said people have left her threatening voice mails, accused her of taking kickbacks from mask manufacturers and threatened to derail her career. In a city of 120,000, she feels constantly watched.
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As the school board prepared this summer for the new school year, the health department and Dr. Newman made recommendations including mandatory masking for all students, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in July. By then, Ms. Ollenburger and other parents were getting organized. She said the mandatory masking recommendation caused her to lose faith in Dr. Newman’s guidance. She and other parents felt the board wasn’t responsive to their pandemic-fueled frustrations over matters including masking, quarantine rules and virtual-learning protocols. They pored over recall procedural rules. Dr. Newman was among the members Ms. Ollenburger and her peers wanted off the board.
On Aug. 10, the school board voted 6-3 to adopt Dr. Newman’s recommendations. Districts nearby, including one in neighboring West Fargo, left it up to parents and teachers whether to don masks in schools. “It was the tipping point,” Ms. Ollenburger said. Over the following two weeks, she said, she and her peers collected 3,000 signatures in support of the recall vote for Dr. Newman and other board members; if the signatures they collect are certified, four school-board slots will be up for grabs in a special election in January.
Dr. Newman said she is sometimes unsure whether she wants to fight to stay on the board. She said her motivation all along has been to try to keep children in school, safely. “I want to do what’s best for kids,” she said.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-pediatrician-joined-the-school-board-during-covid-19-her-face-mask-recommendations-could-cost-her-the-job-11632052800 (subscription)
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