Voting in favor were board members Michael Cloy, Codie Smith, Amary Doremus, Tim Jacobs and Eric Evans. Opposed to changing the mask mandate were Diane Thompson and Roderick Jones.

Smith made the motion, which was seconded by Doremus, and the motion included a caveat that the mask mandate could be revisited if local COVID numbers spike before the end of the 2020-21 school year.

BISD Superintendent Dr. Joe Young praised the school board for keeping the mask mandate in place over a month ago when Gov. Greg Abbott first lifted the executive order he originally put in place. Young also stated the time was right to consider a potential change, but if one was made the school district would need time to assess the situation and make changes regarding a potential increase in students opting for remote learning. Young also stated the change could be sooner than April 19 if few changes are required. 

A group of parents spoke of their desire to see the mask mandate dropped prior to each of the school board members sharing their views on the issues.

The board members in favor of making masks optional spoke mostly of the drop in the number of COVID cases in Brown County and the surrounding area. Those opposed mentioned the chance students may opt out of face-to-face learning due to personal or health reasons, and President Joe Biden’s stance that masks should be continue to be worn.