The FHSD Board of Education has had a busy year with controversial votes on everything from the district’s masking policy to what to do with the increased cost projections of the new FHN building.

The masking policy, where masks are required for Elementary schoolers but optional for Middle and High school students, has come under heat recently. It may be changed at the Dec. 16 meeting. Some groups, like Francis Howell Families, believe that masks should not be required at any level, and other groups believe in masking every student. Both sides are very vocal about their opinion. At some meetings, patrons have been asked to leave after using vulgar language. 

“We used to only have one officer at our meetings, now we have between two and three,” board member Patrick Lane said.

Patron comments are when community members speak at board meetings to give feedback on district policy. This is one of the primary ways people can get their opinion to the board. 

“Patron comments were once one to four people per meeting, mostly announcements and curricular concerns, small stuff,” Lane said.

However, in the past 18 months, more and more people have started showing up at the board meetings. And they’ve been getting more rowdy. At the Oct. 21 meeting, a man shouted obscenities at the patron speaking and was asked to leave. The current patron comments system, where the first ten people in line get to speak, has come under heat recently for not allowing all voices to be heard.

“First come, first served system has worked, but both sides need to be heard,” Lane said.

The board will be discussing the district’s mask policy on Dec. 16, and that is expected to rile up the crowd, but the mask policy isn’t the only thing causing tension. Groups like Francis Howell Families urge the school board to ban a string of ‘inappropriate’ books from school libraries, and to stop the Black Literature and Black History classes from being taught in the district.

“We have many people very concerned about Black History and Lit, and we have a list of ‘problem’ books,” Lane said.

Even the students have been getting involved. Sophomore Grant Kilen has been attending board meetings since June, when the Black History and Black Lit. classes were first voted on.

“Previously, it was like watching a game, it was all speculative,” Kilen said. “But recently, it’s gotten more close to home.”

Lane is one of seven board members who make decisions about the district’s finances and choose the superintendent. The Board is non-partisan and also makes policy changes for the district.

“The election is non-partisan, but everyone has biases, we all have them,” Doug Ziegemeier said.

Ziegemeier is a retired law enforcement officer and small business owner, and is another Board director. One of his responsibilities on the board is managing the district’s finances.

“With the finances we have, it’s like a big business,” Ziegemeier said. “We have a budget in excess of $200 million”

Even when patrons are feuding, the Board itself works together to perform their duties. They all remain respectful and work together despite their differing ideologies.

“We don’t get paid,” Lane said, “Remember that.”