Eagle Butte High teacher stirs controversy online with mandatory mask stance

Raible also compared the decision by the province to the novel ‘1984’ and added he was looking forward to teaching his students on the book.

Reached on Wednesday afternoon, Raible called it a tongue-in-cheek post expressing some of his frustration with the update.

“One I’m thinking of sanitary reasons. We’re not talking about N95 masks, we’re talking about non-medical and homemade masks. And we’re talking about students … now they’re going to have to wear the masks in the common areas and the hallways but in certain classrooms, they can take those masks off, then they can put those masks back on, go back in those common areas to a different classroom, take those masks off and put those masks back on,” he says. “And my thought is how sanitary is that going to be when you’ve got these non-medical masks or these homemade masks being taken on and off multiple times in a less than perfect environment in a school six or seven hours a day.”

As of Wednesday morning, Raible’s Twitter account no longer exists and the post has been taken down.

Raible himself made the decision to deactivate the account.

“It became evident to me by the end of yesterday that the intent had been lost that people were trying to perhaps use that tweet in a matter I did not intend it and so after much thought, I deactivated my twitter account just for a short time,” he said.

Raible added he received support from people who said they agreed with his stance but didn’t want to speak up for fear of being intimidated the way he was.

Screenshot of Eagle Butte High School teacher Scott Raible’s now-deleted Tweet

Raible also expressed concerns about the mental impact a school full of masks could have on students and staff.

“In the hallway you’ve got, depending on the school that you’re in, you’ve got 400, 500 people here in this crowd and everyone’s wearing a mask,” he explained. “What would be the psychological impact on children and on staff as well?”

The post had received over 200 replies with many defending the use of masks in classrooms, while a handful of other commenters supported Raible’s stance.

He says the choice of masks to highlight in his post was tongue-in-cheek, and while he doesn’t support mandatory masks in this particular plan he had purchased school-friendly masks in case a student requested he wear one.

“Even though I might be against mandatory non-health masks in this setting I do believe in accommodating people and being respectful. And so I don’t think you need to mandate masks for that to happen,” he said, adding he’ll be following all rules in place by the government and his school division.

Prairie Rose School Division released a statement on Wednesday saying they have looked into the post by Raible.

“Prairie Rose School Division is aware of the comment posted on a staff member’s personal social media account. We will not be providing additional comments about the individual or their personal opinions.”

“Prairie Rose School Division welcomes the August 4^th announcement by Education Minister Adriana LaGrange and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw, mandating the use of masks in schools where students are unable to socially distance outside of their cohort groups. Our dedicated staff have been working diligently throughout the spring and summer to ensure a safe back to school environment for everyone this fall. The mandated use of masks for students and staff is a welcome public health directive that adds an additional layer of support and safety as part of the re-entry plan.”

Raible served as political engagement officer for Prairie Rose School Division during the 2019 provincial election and ran for the seat of mayor in Medicine Hat in 2017.

by Scott Roblin

Eagle Butte High teacher stirs controversy online with mandatory mask stance

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