The Hastings Banner — Thursday, September 30, 2021 — Page 3Students talked about being turned away at
the door of their school, or being sent to the
principal’s office to await their parents, for
refusing to wear their masks.
Many claimed masks are ineffective, or
actively cause other health problems. Others
accused Scrimger of manipulating or falsify-
ing the district’s COVID data to justify the
mandate. The vast majority of people who
spoke Thursday demanded an end to the mask
mandate – and many called for Scrimger’s
resignation or termination.
Many of those who spoke, parents and chil-
dren, became emotional as they spoke; some
screamed and cried.
“I will tell you if I lose my daughter to sui-
cide because of your mandate, and your malice
and your negligence, there will be repercus-
sions,” one woman, who did not give her
name, wept as she shouted at the board. “You
will not stand up here and kill my child!”
“Last year, my oldest would come home
from school with a headache from wearing a
mask, every day,” Maple Valley parent Scott
Leslie said. “She cried the day she had to go to
gym, because she knew what was coming and
there was nothing she could do about it.
“I will not do that again. Nobody will make
me do that again.”
Olivet parent Denver Rose referred to the
Holocaust in her statement.“I went to Poland, and I was in Auschwitz and
I saw it, and you guys might say, ‘Oh my gosh,
like it’s going to happen.’ It will, if this stuff
keeps going on,” Rose said. “I will never be in a
place like that; my children will never, and this
is what I say to you: Over my dead body.”
“You cannot stand against the Lord most
high,” Rose added. “He is greater than you,
your mandates fall because he is greater.”
More than once, a person at the podium or
someone in the audience led the group in
prayer.
Another Maple Valley parent, Erin Stephens,
asked for the health department to allow par-
ents to sign a waiver allowing their children to
be exempt from wearing masks.
“Sure, it may just be masks, but the fact that
we don’t have a choice is tyranny,” Stephens
said. “We can fight the tyranny from the gov-
ernment that we fought against in the
(American) Revolution.”
Hastings Area Schools Superintendent Matt
Goebel said he was speaking on behalf of him-
self and the Board of Education.
“I am here today to respectfully disagree
with you today regarding the recent mandates
regarding masks and quarantine options for
educational institutions in Barry and Eaton
counties,” Goebel said. “The Hastings Board
of Education and I believe that giving parents
the choice to mask their children is essential tothe overall health of their individual child.”
“While I understand you come from a
broader perspective of protecting health in two
counties, I hope you can take into consider-
ation the unfavorable effect this decision has
on many of our students,” he added.
“Furthermore, the announcement of this man-
date in the middle of a semester, rather than at
the very beginning of the school year, is just
cruel to our students. It also negatively impacts
our parents who are now forced to make dif-
ferent plans which upturn their lives.”
Delton Kellogg Schools Superintendent
Kyle Corlett said he sent a letter to the board
of health, stating he did not believe the man-
dates were necessary, based on the number of
cases in area schools.
“My letter also said that a mask mandate
would divide the community, as it has,” Corlett
told The Banner. “We need a clear end goal in
mind to base our decisions on and the mandate
doesn’t state when the mandate would end.
“As leaders in the community, we need to
work together and communicate to help bring
the community together.”
The Maple Valley Schools Board of
Education unanimously adopted a resolution
stating it did not believe the amount of
COVID-19 infections warranted the mandates.
The health board did not take any action
during its meeting last Thursday, besides its
monthly business, such as paying the bills.
BEDHD board chairman and Barry County
Commissioner Ben Geiger said the agenda
included an item for board members to voice
their concerns and ask questions after the sec-
ond round of public comment, but Heikkila’s
intervention brought the meeting to an end
before it could get to that point.
Barry County Commissioner and health
board member Jon Smelker said he planned to
use that time to ask Scrimger to rescind the
order, and to ask for her resignation if she
refused, but he did not get the chance.
Smelker said he had already had that con-
versation with Scrimger in private that morn-
ing, and she declined to do so.
Smelker said she informed him that, even if
she stepped down, the mandates would remain
in force.
Geiger said the Barry County Board of
Commissioners has reached out to its legal
counsel to ask if it has the legal authority to
rescind Scrimger’s orders.
Health board member Dave Jackson, also a
Barry County commissioner, spoke at the start
of the meeting. He said he was grateful for the
public participation, and asked audience mem-
bers to be civil.
“We’re glad you’re here,” Jackson said. “It
has been a long year and a half with this pan-
demic with mandates flying.... I don’t think
many of you knew Colette prior to a week ago.
But I have to assure you that your health
department has a lot of troubling decisions that
they’ve had to make. They’ve worked seven
days a week for the last year and a half trying
to do what’s best for families.”
“Just be civil,” he added. “Because, in the
end, we are still all friends or families or com-
munity. We live together, work together, our
kids work and play with your kids.”
Even before Heikkila announced his citi-
zen’s arrest, the health board meeting had
several tense moments. Hastings City Police
officers, a Barry County Sheriff’s deputy and
several posse members were posted at the
entrance to Leason Sharpe Hall, and around
the meeting area.
On several occasions, the officers took a
few steps toward the audience, or asked people
to calm down, when the meeting started to get
out of hand.
After the first round of public comment, and
a 20-minute recess, BEDHD official Anne
Barna and epidemiologist Taylor Olsabeck
gave a presentation on the current state of the
pandemic.
Their report occasional laughter from the
audience as the employees talked about the
number of cases, and several people called out
questions.
At one point, Geiger, who sat at the front of
the audience area to see the slideshow presen-
tation, stood up.
“We do have some questions from the audi-
ence and I will be receptive to entertaining
[them],” Geiger said. “But this is my only rule,
and this is a ground rule, treat these staff mem-
bers with a little grace, cut them a little slack.”
“No,” a woman called out from the audi-
ence, as several people started speaking at
once.
“When are you going to give our kids a
break?” one man shouted at Geiger and got out
of his seat.
Police and posse members took a few steps
forward until the man sat down.
“No, listen to me, I’m a politician...” Geiger
started to say but was shouted down.
“If you have questions I’m going to let you
ask, just don’t yell at them,” he said.
But audience members continued to shout at
Geiger.
“All right, well, we can’t have this,” Geiger
said, then he sat back down and called for the
presentation to continue.
After the presentation was over, Geiger tried
to take questions from the audience where
answers could be offered, but eventually he
stopped that attempt as unruly responses con-
tinued to erupt from the audience.
The next health board meeting is scheduled
for 9:30 a.m. Oct. 28. A location has not been
announced.
Geiger said the board had not yet decided
whether it would call a special meeting before
then.
As of Tuesday, BEDHD reported 140 active
cases of COVID-19 in Barry County, down
from 175 the week before. Two additional
deaths were reported, for a total of 75 since the
pandemic began in March 2020.Keara Hilton, from Thornapple Kellogg school district, leads audience members in
prayer during her two minutes of public comment. (Photo by Scott Harmsen)
Several people held makeshift signs
inside and outside of the board of health
meeting last Thursday. Laura Hall of
Eaton Rapids asked people to consider
the situation local school districts are in.
She told The Banner that she was
shunned for expressing an opinion that
differed from the group of protesters.
(Photo by Rebecca Pierce)
About 175 people filled Leason Sharpe Hall last Thursday morning for the Barry-Eaton District Health Department meeting.
(Photo by Scott Harmsen)‘I am here today to respectfully disagree with you today regard-
ing the recent mandates regarding masks and quarantine
options for educational institutions in Barry and Eaton counties.’- Hastings Area Schools Superintendent Matt Goebel
Hastings Area Schools Superintendent Matt Goebel was one of two area superin-
tendents who spoke out against the health department’s mask mandate last week.
Delton Kellogg Superintendent Kyle Corlett spoke to the Barry County Commissioners
at their Tuesday, Sept. 21 meeting. (Photo by Scott Harmsen)
The line to get into Leason Sharpe Hall, after the building had reached capacity,
stretched down the street and around the corner. (Photo by Rebecca Pierce)
Barry-Eaton District Board of Health members (from left) Ben Geiger of Barry
County, Jeremy Whittum of Eaton County and Jon Smelker, also of Barry County,
listen to public comment. (Photo by Scott Harmsen)HEALTH, continued from page 1 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––