Education / Schools

High School District board meeting disrupted over mask protocol

Trustees return to business after a brief recess.
Hollister police officer talks with SBHS student Peyton Evans. She told him she could not wear a mask for medical reasons. He told her she had to leave building. Photo by John Chadwell.
Hollister police officer talks with SBHS student Peyton Evans. She told him she could not wear a mask for medical reasons. He told her she had to leave building. Photo by John Chadwell.
Courtney Evens stayed outside school library where the board meeting was taking place. She confronted people there about wearing masks. Photo by John Chadwell.
Courtney Evens stayed outside school library where the board meeting was taking place. She confronted people there about wearing masks. Photo by John Chadwell.
San Benito High School student Peyton Evans arrived at the meeting with no mask on and said she wanted to tell the board of trustees how she was being bullied and threatened on campus. Photo by John Chadwell.
San Benito High School student Peyton Evans arrived at the meeting with no mask on and said she wanted to tell the board of trustees how she was being bullied and threatened on campus. Photo by John Chadwell.
Officers escort Peyton from the meeting. Photo by John Chadwell.
Officers escort Peyton from the meeting. Photo by John Chadwell.
Meeting in its newly rehabbed library, the board meeting was temporarily halted because of a student who refused to wear a mask for medical reasons. Photo by John Chadwell.
Meeting in its newly rehabbed library, the board meeting was temporarily halted because of a student who refused to wear a mask for medical reasons. Photo by John Chadwell.
Betsy Lemay told the board she supported the mask protocol and her son had no problem wearing a mask. Photo by John Chadwell.
Betsy Lemay told the board she supported the mask protocol and her son had no problem wearing a mask. Photo by John Chadwell.
Principal Adrian Ramirez said overall students have accepted wearing masks and even were wearing them outside, which is not currently required. Photo by John Chadwell.
Principal Adrian Ramirez said overall students have accepted wearing masks and even were wearing them outside, which is not currently required. Photo by John Chadwell.

The Aug. 24 meeting of the San Benito High School Board of Trustees was interrupted because Peyton Evans, 15, was sitting near the entrance without a mask. Board President John Corrigan called a recess and read a statement about wearing masks and disruptions, but did not explain why he was calling a halt to the meeting. Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum asked this reporter to join the board in leaving the room explaining “you’ll be safe” but did not say what was happening and why he thought there was a safety issue.

Outside the library, Peyton’s mother, Courtney Evans—who was arrested on Dec. 15 for appearing at a Board of Supervisors meeting without a mask and has since sued one supervisor and brought multiple charges against county sheriff deputies—was seated near the entrance. As she called out that neither Tennenbaum nor Gov. Gavin Newsom was her boss to a nearby crowd, taunting some of them by name, Peyton was sitting inside.

Peyton told BenitoLink that if given the chance she wanted to speak during the meeting about being bullied and threatened with physical harm by other high school students. Her mother also told BenitoLink about a pornographic meme she was objecting to shared on Instagram showing Peyton’s face and the appearance of her holding either a sex toy or penis, along with the text “It’s a piece of cloth you F***** Pu***.” 

Courtney told BenitoLink on Aug. 25 that the officer who “touched my daughter” followed her, her boyfriend and Peyton as they left the campus and out to their car and allegedly harassed them. She said she was going to the police department to file a complaint against the officer.

After the three left the campus, the meeting reconvened after about 15 minutes, at 7:25 p.m. when lone public speaker Betsy Lemay, a teacher and parent of a senior at the high school, said she has been satisfied with the education that the school has provided her two sons. She said she wanted to show her support for the school’s COVID protocols and specifically masks. She encouraged others to speak up in support.

“I can no longer sit by and let my voice be silent,” she said. “Thank you immensely for the job that you are doing following the COVID protocols. My son has no problem wearing his mask. He understands that the mask is to mitigate the spread of the virus. He understands it’s not perfect, but at our house we understand and abide by the thought process that anything we can do to help is our responsibility to do so.”

Lemay said she wears a mask every day in her classroom, joking that her glasses fog up, her students laugh, “and we go on with our day.”

SBHS Principal Adrian Ramirez used his scheduled time to speak about student and staff masking indoors. He said the response has been positive and the students have been cooperative. He said there have been no major issues as students enter and leave the campus.

“A vast majority of our students are opting to keep their masks on outdoors,” he said. “Students and staff have been diligent in following safe practices.”

Two agenda items were approved by the board:

  • A memorandum of understanding with Aromas San Juan School District for $132,200 to enable two students from that district to enroll at San Benito High School District.
  • An MOU with Wonder Woofs, not to exceed $5,000, to provide one search dog and one comfort dog. Wonder Woofs is a privately owned company that works in collaboration with schools, families and businesses to conduct drug, alcohol, and gunpowder detection searches. It is not affiliated with law enforcement agencies.

 

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John Chadwell

John Chadwell is a freelance photojournalist with additional experience as a copywriter, ghostwriter, scriptwriter, and novelist. He is a former U.S. Navy Combat Photojournalist and is an award-winning writer, having worked for magazine, newspapers, radio and television. He has a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications from Chapman University and graduate studies at USC Cinema School. John worked as a scriptwriting consultant, and his own script, "God's Club," was produced and released in 2016. He has also written eight novels, ranging from science fiction to true crime, which are sold on Amazon. To contact John Chadwell, send an email to: [email protected]