This podcast contains comments from the August 16, 2021 Bryan ISD school board meeting and the August 17, 2021 College Station ISD school board meeting. Speakers are Bryan ISD board president Mark McCall, College Station ISD board members Kimberly McAdams, Geralyn Nolan, Jeff Horak, and president Mike Nugent. The last speaker in this podcast is Brazos County health authority Dr. Seth Sullivan.

A common topic at this week's Bryan ISD (BISD) and College Station ISD (CSISD) school board meetings was wearing masks inside campus buildings.

Public comments during both meetings included parents asking board members to defy the governor's executive order and mandate masks. CSISD board members also heard from two students, and eighth grader and the junior class president at Consolidated High School, who also sought mask requirements.

None of the Bryan ISD board members called for requiring masks. The only BISD board member to speak on this topic, board president Mark McCall, said "I think probably one of the things that we really ultimately want to watch out for is that anybody who wear masks feels just as comfortable as somebody who doesn't wear a mask."

Two CSISD board members spoke about mask requirements. Kimberly McAdams said "Did we think the protocols we had in place last year worked and helped? And then if we say yes to that, which I do, then are we brave enough to put some of those protocols back in place?" And Geralyn Nolan agreed with the Brazos County health authority, the chief medical officer at CHI St. Joseph Health, and the president of the Baylor Scott & White Health College Station region...who according to Nolan "overwhelmingly all three of them said that we need to be wearing masks (and) that they would like to see everyone showing up at schools wearing masks and also that when we all wear masks we see decreased transmissions."

The remaining five CSISD board members did not express an opinion about mandating masks.

Another public speaker at the CSISD meeting was health authority Dr. Seth Sullivan, who recommended masks be worn inside schools and inside buses. Sullivan also said "I recommend that we think about thresholds for where we need to have further mitigation factors and I think that we watch what's happening with other schools very closely."