Emily Featherston
While several residents have expressed their desire to have the city of Vestavia Hills pass a citywide mask mandate in light of the Vestavia Hills Board of Education's decision to make masks recommended, but optional, for the 2021-22 school year, any such ordinance passed by the City Council would not impact school facilities, City Attorney Patrick Boone told the council at an Aug. 16 work session.
A few residents spoke at the Aug. 9 City Council meeting, urging the council to consider enacting a mask mandate, in hopes that it would either include school facilities in such a mandate, or that it would sway the Board of Education to pass a mandate of their own.
Boone, who is the attorney for both the city and the school system, said the Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that boards of education are not agencies of the municipality in which they reside, and as such, are not subject to their ordinances.
The decision to not require masks has angered many residents, some of which have spoken at public meetings and signed a petition urging the board to reconsider their decision. Vestavia Hills City Schools Superintendent Todd Freeman told parents the school's operational plan, including mask requirements, can be adjusted as needed as the school year goes on.
