Jim Thorpe school board members say they oppose mask mandates, but they have taken no official action to oppose Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration’s orders.

The board discussed mask mandates during the public comment period of Wednesday’s school board meeting.

Several members said they agreed that masks should be a parent’s choice.

President Scott Pompa said he believes masking should be up to individual families, but said there could be legal implications if the district ignores the state’s orders.

“I do strongly believe masking should be a parental choice, and not mandated by the government or this school board,” he said.

Board member Paul Montemuro said that he had COVID, and compared it to the flu. He commended Tamaqua Area School District for defying the Department of Health’s orders.

“I applaud Tamaqua for sticking to their guns and saying ‘enough’,” Montemuro said.

Board member TJ Garritano called Wolf a tyrant for his mandates. He encouraged parents to seek out exemptions to allow their children to attend school without a mask.

Garritano said that schools are being held to an unfair standard for masking compared to other gatherings.

“We can pack 70,000 people into a football stadium without masks, which will happen at every college and professional stadium in the state this weekend, but kids can’t sit in a classroom, it’s absolutely ridiculous,” he said.

The board members shared their thoughts after a parent, Carli Rodriguez Willingham, presented her case against mandatory masking.

Rodriguez Willingham said she’s found no studies saying that masks are safe and effective for kids and adults.

She said masks could lead to unexpected complications. She cited a study from the Journal of American Medical Association which stated that masks lead to high levels of CO2 in children. The study she cited has since been retracted by the journal.

“There’s a lot of risks associated with masks and it should be in the individual choice, not an edict brought down from a governing body with no real connection to our district and our kids,” she said.