BETTENDORF, Iowa — Bettendorf School Board members said "no" to mask mandates in Bettendorf schools at Thursday night's meeting.
It comes as large districts in Davenport, Burlington and Muscatine decided to impose mandates after a judge struck down an Iowa law banning mask requirements.
About 70 people were in attendance at the school board meeting. About 20 of those people were wearing masks.
Although the board did not discuss the mandate itself, one board member did recommend masks in elementary schools, with some conditions. That motion, however, failed and did not move on to a formal vote.
The decision to keep masks optional in all school buildings came after the board heard from parents and community members for more than an hour.
"I understand that masks are not 100% (effective)," said one Bettendorf parent. "I know that we're all doing the best that we can to create a safe environment for learning."
Another Bettendorf parent said, "I really would like to … let the parents make the choice. And people that do, if they want to wear two, three, four masks, great … I think it's up to the parents."
Bettendorf is not the only school district in the immediate Quad Cities considering a mask mandate.
Both the Pleasant Valley and North Scott school districts will have school board meetings Monday, Sept. 27.
In the Pleasant Valley district, a spokesperson said Thursday afternoon a mask requirement will be discussed on Monday evening. The spokesperson expects a decision to be made Monday, but is not sure at this time what that decision will be.
In the North Scott district, masks will continue to be optional, as of Thursday night. Communication from district leaders will be sent to families by 5 p.m. Friday, according to Superintendent Joe Stutting. That communication will include more COVID-19 precaution information, Stutting said.