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5 Sections, 40 Pages • Wednesday • August 18,2021
INSIDE ► ►►
Meet the
2021 Dogs
in preview
SEE SECTION INSIDE
WELCOME
TO THE FAMILY
Dean Venable
Robert Heath
Robert & Sherri Moody
Kim Merritt
Patsy Poss
Melinda Rooks
Betty Kare
John Sweat
Ruth Proctor
Elizabeth Kale
NEW SUBSCRIBERS
OF THE WEEK
DEATHS m6A
Verline Stone
Wayne Williams
Benjamin Chapman
Robert Blackmon
Hilton Bowden
Danny Couch
Protests end mask mandate
By Diane Glidewell
and Will Davis
In a sudden reversal, the
Monroe County school
board rescinded its mask
mandate on Wednesday,
Aug. 11 just 24 hours after
imposing it after it sparked a
community wide backlash.
The board voted 6-0 on
Wednesday night with
one abstention to adopt
a recommendation from
superintendent Mike Hick
man to highly recommend
masking and to encourage
students and teachers over
12 to be vaccinated. Only
board member Dr. Jeremy
Goodwin abstained, saying
everyone knew he favored
a mask mandate, but that
in the interest of unity he
wouldn’t oppose it.
The surprising reversal
came as school boards across
the country made similar
moves under pressure from
fed-up parents. At a regular
meeting Tuesday, Aug. 11,
Goodwin had insisted on
mandating masks for all staff
and students pre-K through
12th grade, starting as young
as four. That was more strin
gent than the school rules
last year, when masking
was optional for elementary
students.
Board members Goodwin,
Nolen Howard and Priscilla
Doster voted for the man
date while Greg Head, Stuart
Pippin and Eva Bilderback
voted against. The mandate
then hung on the vote of J.P.
Evans who was attending the
meeting by telephone as he
has for the last 18 months.
“Explain it to me,” Evans
said when Doster asked for
his vote.
She restated the motion
and amendment, and then
Evans asked what the vote
count was. Before getting
an answer he voted in favor,
passing the motion, 4-3.
But before Tuesdays meet
ing closed, Head said he had
one more thing to say.
Head noted that the board
had just imposed masks
“in school settings”, requir
ing masks at all athletic
and other events. Goodwin
said that wasn’t what he
intended.
These mm
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“That’s what you voted
for,” said Head. “I expect the
superintendent to make it
happen.”
Doster said Roberts
Rules of Order don’t allow
a changed vote at the same
meeting. The board voted to
have an emergency meeting
the next day to reconsider.
Meanwhile, as Monroe
County parents heard about
the mandate, many were
outraged. Board members
received emails, phone calls
and text messages objecting
to the new mask require
ment, set to take effect on
Thursday.
Parents created an Unmask
Monroe County Facebook
page and organized a protest
before Wednesday’s meeting.
Nearly 200 students, parents
and teachers gathered on the
steps of the BOE auditorium
with signs saying, “My Child,
My Choice” and “Masks Are
As Useless as Joe Biden”.
Head told the crowd
masks should be a matter of
personal choice.
“I’m not willing to give
up one ounce of American
See MASKS Page 6A
Mary Persons students Shawn Johnson, Peyton Johnson, Drew Grant, Jason Cox, Michael
Head and others hold signs protesting the mask mandate as they talk to a WMAZ re
porter. Moments after the protest the BOE reversed and only highly recommended masks.
(Photo/Will Davis)
Stroud: BOE only reversed
because protesters were white
By Will Davis
publisher@my mcr.net
City councilman Julius Stroud is
coming under fire for posting on
Facebook last week that the only
reason Monroe County’s school board
reversed its mask mandate is because
white people were the ones protesting.
“If that was a black crowd with black
kids doing that,” wrote Stroud, “well
we know the outcome.”
School board member Greg Head
said such comments from Stroud,
who coached and taught in Monroe
County schools last year, were disgust
ing. Councilman Julius Stroud, shown coach-
“For any elected official to race bait in 9 MCMS football last year, says the
BOE only reversed its mask mandate
See STROUD Page 3A beacuse white people wanted it.
6 06605 3341b
6
Two charged for stealing school bus
Teen charged in expensive Forsyth joy ride
One suspect is in jail
and another has warrants
for his arrest for stealing
a Monroe County school
bus and taking it for a joy
ride last Wednesday, Aug.
11.
Christopher Michael
Alexander Clayton, 19,
of Macon was arrested
on Saturday and charged
with theft and posses
sion of a weapon during
commission of felony.
Inv. Tellas Daniels of the
Forsyth Police Department
said someone recognized
Clayton on a video of the
joyride posted to the Re
porter Facebook page on
Thursday and called police.
Daniels said Clayton ad
mitted to the bus theft and
called the joyride a “dumb
mistake”. Daniels said
Clayton was the suspect
near the door brandishing
a weapon.
Meanwhile Daniels has
taken a warrant charging
Cedric James Mayes, 17, of
Union Hill Drive with be
ing the driver. He had not
been booked at presstime.
The bus was taken from
the BOE lot near Dan Pitts
Stadium around 11:08 p.m.
Wednesday. The thieves
abandoned the bus around
11:20 p.m. near Blount
Hill. It was found around 7
a.m. Thursday. Two of the
suspects were shirtless and
showed tattoos. One wore
a Crown Royal bag on
his head and the suspects
were seen trying wipe their
fingerprints off the steering
wheel and dash. The bus
didn’t appear damaged.
Anyone with information
on the third suspect is
asked to call Forsyth police
at 993-1005 ext. 219.
Forsyth police say that’s Chris Clayton on the right and Ced
ric Mays is the driver who stole a MC school bus last week.
(Photo/Forsyth PD)
