EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Parents oppose children wearing masks at school
By April Sykes
A respectful crowd of
around 50 people, mostly
parents, showed up at the
Morrow County School
Board meeting Mon-
day night in Heppner for
MCSD’s monthly meet-
ing. Although two Morrow
County Sheriff’s deputies
were on hand, no distur-
bances occurred.
The majority of those
testifying expressed their
opposition to their children
wearing masks at school,
citing the heat generat-
ed by the masks, increase
in the amount of Co2 in
students’ blood resulting
from breathing into masks,
difficulty in breathing, mo-
tion sickness and expos-
ing children to “dangerous
pathogens.” Another parent
testified, “My children did
not get the best education”
during the last school year
with home schooling and
telecommunication.
“Let’s go back to the
Bible” and quit doing this
to our children,” said Jeff
Zimmerman. One woman
started to testify but became
too emotional to continue.
Genessa Knowles, But-
ter Creek, commented that
their child wears a mask
from catching the bus at
6:30 a.m. to returning home
4:30 p.m., resulting in a
very long day, with over-
heating, headaches, mo-
Genessa and Brian Knowles
Around 50 people showed up for the Morrow County School Board meeting in Heppner
Monday night.
tion sickness and difficulty
breathing.
MCSD Superintendent
Dirk Dirksen, however, re-
iterated that the district has
to follow state-mandated
regulations and mask re-
quirements. “At this point
in time. . .we’re looking
at starting the year with
masks,” he said. “I wish,
as we all wish, we’d never
heard of the word COVID.
We got schools open as
quickly as we could,” he
added. “I think we’re in a
better place.”
Brian Knowles, Butter
Creek, a Heppner school
alumnus, asked whether the
district would be following
“Critical Race Theory”,
to which Dirksen replied
that the district would not.
“We’re not changing any-
thing,” he said. “We won’t
be trying to sneak some-
thing in.” Critical Race
Theory “is the complete
opposite of what we teach
our kids,” said Knowles.
“Good parenting is treating
everyone the same.”
Critical Race Theo-
ry maintains that racism
is “institutionalized and
imbedded in America’s
history, legal systems and
policies” and acknowledges
the “continuing impacts of
slavery and segregation in
America.”
Also at the meeting,
two new board members,
Jacob Cain, and Kalie Da-
vis, both Boardman, attend-
ed their first school district
meeting.
Dirksen reminded the
board that a school district
bond issue is rapidly ap-
proaching. “We’re in Catch
22 with our buildings,” he
said. “Our buildings look
good from the outside,” he
added, but when you start
looking behind the walls. .
.” He said that in November
and December information
concerning the upcoming
bond issue will be distrib-
uted to the public, with the
bond issue slated for a vote
in the May 22 election.
In other business, the
board:
-learned from Dirksen
that the district has a 90
percent graduation rate.
-heard from Dirksen
concerning the agreement
with the Morrow County
Recreation District. He
reiterated that there is no
longer a pay-to-play cost
for students and noted a
signed agreement between
the school district and the
Morrow County Unified
Recreation District indicat-
ing as such.
-approved a financial
update highlighting “sig-
nificant transactions” for
the district as follows: “The
district’s ending fund bal-
ance is larger than antic-
ipated due to the federal
COVID funding and state
grants. In addition, there
were retirements or res-
ignations during the year
that were difficult to re-
fill.” General Fund year-to-
date collections: ESSER I
Grant: $242,921.15; CDL
Grant-$52,541; Business
Oregon: $104,689; Special
Revenue Funds year-to-
date collected: Measure 98-
$683,893 (fully utilized);
SIA-$680,090 (fully uti-
lized); and Morrow Educa-
tion Foundation-$608,916.
-accepted and appropri-
ated the following unantic-
ipated revenues: Heppner
Schools-$1,000 each to the
Associated Student Body
Wild Horse Fund from
Community Counseling,
Devin Oil, Morrow County
Health District and Miller
and Sons.; $1,000 to Riv-
Murray’s hosts beer, wine tasting event
erside Jr./Sr. High School
from the Oregon Commu-
nity Foundation.
-approved holding all
meetings in the south end
of the county at Heppner
Elementary School and
all in the north end at the
Morrow Education Center
in Irrigon. Previously meet-
ings had rotated among all
the schools.
-learned that the sum-
mer school schedule for
high school recovery and a
kindergarten through eighth
grade jump start program
including incoming kin-
dergarteners began August
2 and will run through Au-
gust 17.
-heard that staff in-ser-
vice will be held from Au-
gust 23-26.
-approved resolutions
to accept unanticipated
revenue and bank signer
documents.
-heard that students will
begin school on August 30
and there will be no school
on Monday, September 6,
for the Labor Day holiday.
-heard about employ-
ment actions:
-Resignations/non-re-
newals: Aurdahl, Kyle -
Principal – WRE; Cor-
rea, Mike - .5 Assistant
Softball Coach – HJSHS;
Elliott, Michaelia - Assis-
tant Custodian – IJSHS;
Evans, Shanna - 4th Grade
Teacher – WRE; Fennern,
Justin - Head Cook – HES;
Finck, Tracy - Educational
Assistant – IJSHS; Grant,
Virginia - Head Cheer-
leading Coach – HJSHS;
Krogh, Teri - Assistant
Cook – ACH; Millard, Ben
- Assistant Football Coach
– IJSHS.
-Employment/promo-
tions/transfer: Barron, Ashli
- Temporary 4th Grade
Teacher – WRE, Bulow,
Jacqueline - Temporary
5th Grade Teacher – IES;
Calvillo, Sarah - Educa-
tional Assistant – RJSHS;
Christy, John - Principal
– WRE; Cole, Adrienne -
Special Education Teacher
– IJSHS; Flynn, Rachel-
Temporary Language Arts
Teacher – RJSHS; Gattis,
Tammy - Temporary 4th
Jacob Cain. new board
member
Kalie Davis, new board
member
Grade Teacher; Gomez,
Alejandra - Educational
Assistant – WRE; Huer-
ta, Maria - Educational
Assistant – WRE; Kirk,
Andrew - Science Teacher
– IJSHS; Lindner, Candice
- Language Arts Teacher –
RJSHS; Locey, Dan - JH
Science Teacher – IJSHS;
Miller, Annika - Temporary
6th Grade Teacher – WRE;
Navarro, Daisey - Educa-
tional Assistant – RJSHS;
Paullus, Delaney - ELL
Teacher – SBE; Pope, Jen-
nifer - ELL Teacher – ACH;
Scanlan, Margaretta - Tem-
porary 6th Grade Teacher –
WRE; Sheller, Steven - As-
sistant Principal – RJSHS;
Sorensen, Jake - Assis-
tant Custodian – IJSHS;
Vanderploeg, Katrina - JH
Math Teacher – IJSHS;
Walker, Don - STEAM
Head Teacher – MCSD;
Williams, Savannah - Art
Teacher – IJSHS; Wirth,
Jennifer - Life Skills Spe-
cial Education Teacher -
MCSD/SBE/WRE.
-Extra duty contracts:
Colin-Torres, Viviana -
HS Head Track Coach –
RJSHS; Moore, Richard
- HS Assistant Football
Coach – RJSHS; Velasco,
Edith - JH Assistant Vol-
leyball Coach – RJSHS;
Volpi, Tyler - HS Assistant
Football Coach – RJSHS.
I WANT
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STORY!
Ann Murray and her brother Joe Lindsay showed up in 60’s Rick Johnston, Heppner, gets in the groove at the Murray’s
style at the Murray’s annual beer and wine tasting event Aug. event.
6 at the fit park in Heppner. Lindsay and Family provided
music, along with Brady Goss.
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