‘You’re torturing my child’: COVID mask vote spurs tumultuous Dracut School Committee meeting

A Dracut School Committee meeting this week turned chaotic as board members voted to put in place a mask mandate for students this school year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Committee members voted 4-1 on Tuesday to approve the rule, which officials intend to lift once virus data supports doing so, The Lowell Sun reports.

Parents and meeting attendees offered emotional testimony both for and against the policy, according to the newspaper. The meeting, at times, grew ugly.

At one point, a parent was warned that if he did not stop shouting, he would be removed by police.

As the committee announced the vote, one person shouted: “You’re not going to like what’s coming to you. Nuremberg trials,” the Sun reports.

“What did I just hear?” Committee Chair Joseph Wilkie responded.

“Nuremberg trials,” the man shouted back, referring to the court proceedings held after World War II to prosecute Nazi officials. “You’re torturing my child.”

Some parents carried signs and most who spoke said they opposed the mandate. After the vote, a group started chanting, “Vote them out. Vote them out,” the newspaper reports.

According to the Sun, the policy is the same as the last school year’s rules, except students will not be required to wear masks when outside, Superintendent Steven Stone said.

Town Health Agent David Ouellette said he previously was against the mandate but now supports it as Dracut sees COVID-19 cases tick back up.

“This isn’t permanent,” Ouellette said.

Tuesday’s vote, however, may soon be moot, at least for September.

On Friday, state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said he will seek authority from the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to mandate masks for all public K-12 students, educators, and staff through at least Oct. 1.