VIDEO: East Helena Mothers Kicked Out of School Board Meeting by Superintendent
By Roy McKenzie
May 25, 2021
In a video posted May 17th to the MT Women for Freedom Facebook Group, concerned mothers can be seen attempting to attend the East Helena School Board meeting before being blocked by the Superintendent. The meeting was set to review masking policy for the school district and school children.
In the video, officials, including Superintendent Ron Whitmoyer, can be seen asking the mothers to leave the building. The mothers stand their ground and tell the Superintendent that the legislature’s bill modifying trespass law to disallow the removal of people from public buildings based on mask wearing was signed by Governor Gianforte on May 14th. The mothers had the right to be there. Without a mask.
“We just want to protect our kids,” one mother can be heard saying. “That’s what we’re doing here Mr. Whitmoyer,” she pleaded.
“You’re messing it up is what you’re doing,” replied Superintendent Whitmoyer.
To another mother who would not leave, Whitmoyer complained, “I don’t want to fight with you all the time about this. It’s been the same rule. Please.”
After being forced to go outside the building for a conversation with officials including Superintendent Whitmoyer, one mother explained, “I’m tired of suffocating the children and you should be, too. I never should have stood for this to begin with.” A man with Whitmoyer responded to her, “Why are you all upset? I don’t understand.”
The video is heartbreaking to watch, but these brave mothers of East Helena Public Schools did strike a win. Even though Superintendent Whitmoyer said he and the administration preferred no changes to the mask policy, the board ultimately voted 5-2 last Wednesday to make masks optional for everyone inside of school district buildings in East Helena Public Schools.
Go Moms!
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This article is misleading and a disappointment! Ron Whitmoyer hands were tied based on the previous school board decision in 2020. There was an election and the people of east Helena spoke up and voted for change. The new school board passed mask optional vote 5-2. These moms were not the superhero and were actually getting in the way of a vote that was already going to happen to removed the mask. He is not a dictator and he has been an amazing superintendent for East Helena. Next time do some research and report both sides of the story!
Thanks for your comment, Esther. I have heard a lot of people say that public officials hands were tied. I see that is a good possibility, but while their hands may be tied, their mouths are free to open. Parents have been waiting for over half a year for the board and the superintendent to take action. In the eleventh hour, hero parents who have stepped up on the school board and the parents who have applied pressure are both deserving of accolades for this win, in my opinion. Also, it would seem from the video that these mothers were not confident that the new school board would act or at least wanted to ensure the board voted to end masking children. No one claimed Ron Whitmoyer was a dictator; that was your characterization, not mine. If you have information that counters the video that clearly depicts Whitmoyer asking unmasked parents to leave (which is partly what this article is about) then feel free to share more and the record can be corrected.