Some MCPS parents question photos of assistant principal, educators inside school without masks
CHEVY CHASE, Md. (FOX 5 D.C) - After pictures surfaced online of some educators and their assistant principal at a Montgomery County school, some parents are asking, why aren’t they wearing their masks?
The pictures in question were allegedly snapped by an educator at Chevy Chase Elementary School and posted on Twitter on Aug. 11.
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The group is seen working together during what is known as an Instructional Leadership Team meeting (ILT).
According to some comments from parents and a couple of Montgomery County watchdog groups, they noticed that the educators including the assistant principal were not wearing masks, even though, there is an indoor mask mandate currently in place for the county.
One of the educators, not including the assistant principal, responded back to the comments that pointed to the no-mask wearing images and defended themselves by saying that there were no students during the ILT meeting, everyone is vaccinated and that they were in their own personal space.
However, some parents FOX 5’s Ayesha Khan spoke with say, even with that explanation, it still goes against what the current rules are.
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"In this county right now, we have put a mask mandate back in place and our county leaders have explained their rationale for that really clearly, multiple times," said Jennifer Reesman.
"Whether or not we agree or disagree with that mandate, it’s the rule and it’s just disheartening to see, that rule so easily tossed aside by people that are supposed to be setting examples for our kids. I think no matter what any of us think about what the rules are, as the adults in the situation, our goal especially when we’re interacting in a school situation is to be the leaders and be the grownups and be the models for what’s going to happen so it was really disappointing as a parent to see that."
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Reesman said, that she and many other parents are not only frustrated about this situation but also that the county’s Board of Education and other school meetings are still closed to the public.
FOX 5 contacted the assistant principal and some of the teachers seen in the photos and Tweets but they have not yet responded.
MCPS spokesperson Gboyinde Onijala said the school system will need to look at the pictures that the staff posted of them not wearing masks.