School Board Meeting Over Masks Gets Physical In Carver County

CARVER COUNTY, MN — A debate over mask mandates sparked a brief tussle during an Eastern Carver County school board meeting hours after the district announced a new policy.

"COVID cases have been rising steadily over the past several weeks," the district announced Monday.

As cases continue to climb, the district unveiled the following policy:

The masking requirement for PK-6th grade students will be extended through the month of October. The benchmark for this protocol is 30 cases per 10,000, and Carver County continues to be well above that number.

All students grades 7-12+, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear a face covering through Friday, October 15, at which point district leadership will make a decision about whether to extend the requirement through the end of the month.

"I know this decision will be difficult for some in our community," Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams said in a statement.

"As much as each of us wishes it were so, the pandemic is not over. Until that time, we must do everything we can to keep each other safe and healthy, and keep our students learning in-person. If your child is sick, please keep them home. Watch them for symptoms. We can slow the spread of the virus, bring our local numbers down, and roll back these protocols, which is what we all want for our children."

At Monday's meeting, community members were given a chance to speak in favor or against the new policy.

Just before the 41-minute mark, two men in front of the camera — one masked, one not — get in a tussle. At the 48.50 mark, it briefly turns physical when one man grabs the other.

The tussle was apparently over a photo taken on a cell phone.

Watch the video here.

Board members can be heard asking for calm as bystanders rushed to break up the fight. Police also intervened.

COVID in Carver County

Carver County's COVID hospitalization rate has increased to 22 percent in the past 14 days, according to the New York Times.

"An average of 42 cases per day were reported in Carver County, a 17 percent increase from the average two weeks ago," the newspaper reports.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 1 in 8 residents have been infected, a total of 12,418 reported cases. Right now, Carver County is at a very high risk for unvaccinated people. Read more about risk below."