GIRARD — The school district’s mask mandate led the board of education to face questions from parents at Thursday’s meeting.

Mark and Kate Cretella, who have kept their children home this school year learning remotely because of the mask mandate, asked the board if there was any possibility Girard will join other area schools in not requiring masks.

“We kept our children home this year because of the mask mandate. That is not what we wanted. We had hoped there could be another alternative and they can be back at school,” Mark Cretella said.

He said many other schools in the tri-county area are not requiring masks but leaving it up to parents.

Cretella said when they learned last summer that masks would be mandated, they and other parents were upset.

“The younger children can’t grasp the concept of mask wearing. They find it challenging and stressful to wear the masks. Why not allow for mask optional,” he said, noting children are less likely to get COVID-19.

Superintendent Bryan O’Hara said they want to be able to keep students in school and the number of cases down and mask wearing helps do this. He said they follow guidelines from the Trumbull County Combined Health District and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

O’Hara said students in the district are quarantining, noting in recent weeks the number of students doing so has increased.

“The number of students on quarantine doubled last week in the district to over 12, including two positive cases. We are doing what we can to take all precautions,” O’Hara said

Resident Darrelene Brown, a school employee, said her grandson, who is in third grade, has COVID-19 and has been very ill with over a 100-degree temperature. She said he played basketball at the YMCA and someone pulled off his mask.

“Wearing of masks does help,” she said.