Northern Lehigh parents gave feedback Monday night on the district’s health and safety plan that’s set to be approved next month.

“My concerns are that after a very rough year for many of our children in Northern Lehigh School District, that we focus on having a normal school year for our children,” resident Alyssa Kabrick said.

She requested that Northern Lehigh follow other districts in allowing masks to be optional.

“I do respect those who feel that wearing a mask is what’s best for them and their children, but in return, I would ask that my decision as a parent to have my children mask-free also be respected,” Kabrick said.

She said with the mask mandate ending June 28, people think masks won’t be worn in school.

“However that is up to each board for these school districts, so I would just ask that all of you take into consideration how the parents feel for the upcoming school year what is best for each child.”

“Although my children were not a problem in school and they followed the rules, they came home every day exhausted and tired of wearing their masks. We want to see our children on the first day of school, we want to see their smiling faces; we don’t want to see them covered up.”

Board President Gary Fedorcha said, “Please understand that we want to see everything as normal as possible also. He said that would be considered.

Resident Eric King asked if parents will have input or a survey will be sent out.

King said, “I just don’t want to see this waiting until the last minute like we did last year. It seemed like last year we waited up until about two weeks before the school year started and then everything was kind of rushed together to just have a hybrid model thrown together at the last minute.”

“We have to have our plan in by the end of July,” Fedorcha said. “This is why we are calling a special meeting in July so that this will be out to everybody, and it will not be again the eleventh hour kind of thing.”

Superintendent Matthew J. Link said the Lehigh County school districts have an opportunity to receive more information from the intermediate unit.

“At this point, it looks like the new template is very streamlined; I’m going to say there’s less boxes to check than there was the last school year,” Link said. “I’m interpreting that as it’s going to be much more true local control.

“I am really looking forward to seeing children arrive on our school buses on our first day of school next year smiling without masks. That’s the intent, that’s the way we’re trending right now, and I want to see it continue that way.”

King asked if masks be required for students throughout the day for the summer programs.

Link replied, “Right now it is our intent that sunset June 27, we are not going to be requiring masks within our school buildings. We have already started to do kind of a gradual release of that with some of our outdoor activities through some of the celebrations at the end of the year right up through graduation.”