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Reader: Why few masks worn at June 9 school district governing board meeting?

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I was watching the most recent governing board meeting from Apache Junction Unified School District and I had some concerns.

The video from June 9 shows that all five members of the school board and the superintendent were not wearing masks.

Is this acceptable protocol?

My understanding is that employees and guests are required to wear masks, and it did look like some of the non-board members were wearing masks.

Do these same procedures not apply to the people at the top?

I couldn’t tell from the video if they put on masks when they went into the executive session, but none of them were wearing a mask when they left the room. I would like to remain anonymous in this matter.

Editors note: A response from Apache Junction Unified School District follows:


AJUSD is committed to ensuring that employees are safe during this time of uncertainty.

We followed the CDC recommendations of social distancing. Governing Board members and the superintendent were sitting at tables that spaced them six to eight feet apart.

The podium that was used for presentations was placed eight feet away from the nearest board member.

Presenters were given an option to wait outside the Governing Board room until their agenda item was up on the agenda with the understanding that following their presentation they could leave the meeting.

Visitors who attended the meeting sat at least nine feet away from the nearest Governing Board member.

We make wearing masks optional for Governing Board members because our sound system does not always pick up audio clearly and it is even more difficult when a mask is worn.

The June 23, 2020 meeting will be held in a Zoom format.