The school board meeting was held on March 23.
Elka Carroll told the Dallas Express that Jim Hitzelberger, president of the Highland Park School Board, conducted the meeting without wearing a face mask even though parents attending the meeting had been ordered to do so.
Additionally, she said members of the board ignored her requests to ask questions at the session in which parents attempted to express concern about continued mask restrictions in area schools.
“I was eager to attend this (meeting) to have an open discussion with the board and hear where we have progressed regarding masks, the cancellation of prom, contact tracing, and other school disruptions,” Carroll said. “I had heard sad stories about how the kids are suffering from depression, not being able to hear their teachers and feelings of isolation. I wanted to speak to the board, hear other parents speak about their children’s experiences and have a discussion with the board about plans to unmask kids and ‘get back to normal.’”
Carroll told Dallas Express she arrived early for the meeting and found two police officers outside where one told the other to expect “an angry mob.”
She said two inside officers lectured her to “pull up your mask” when she lowered hers to fill out a request card to speak at the meeting. She said her glasses fogged while filling out a card, causing her to remove it.
Another officer allegedly warned parents that if they failed to wear masks properly in the meeting, they would be escorted out, she said. But Carroll said the officer leaned in close and had the parents huddled in a non-social distancing group to tell them this.
During the meeting, she said board members congratulated themselves on how wonderful they were doing and ignored her raised hand for 9 minutes. She intended to ask who makes the COVID-19 decisions for schools and if parents had been consulted.
Some of the public comments received what Carroll said was muted applause. She said Hitzelberger warned them they would be escorted out if they applauded.
She said she gave up her 3 allotted minutes to another parent to speak, but criticized Hitzelberger for not wearing a mask and threatening parents with removal if they did not.
“Hitzelberger replied, ‘I’d be happy to explain why I’m not wearing a mask,’ and I said, ‘I don’t want to hear it because you have rules for yourself and different rules for the rest of us, including our children,’” Carroll said. “I turned and left the meeting.”
Carroll accused the board of hypocrisy and creating a threatening atmosphere by including police officers instead holding of a meeting with transparency and open communication.
“Parents in any district have a right to be at a school board meeting and address the people we elected without being treated like criminals for speaking up for what we think and believe, and without being threatened by police officers and board members for simply being there,” she said.
The district previously told Dallas Express that it has received mixed feedback on its mask policy for students.
“We received emails from several parents who were very pleased that the district is continuing to follow the safety protocols put in place at the beginning of the school year,” Jon Dahlander, chief of staff and director of communications for Highland Park ISD, recently told Dallas Express. “Some said that the protocols, including requiring facial coverings for both students and staff, were the reason why they felt safe sending their children to school. At the same time, we received several emails from parents who would like for their children not to have to continue to wear masks.”
