Plan will continue after 4-2 vote by board members

            A motion to rescind the Upper Perkiomen School District's Spring Health and Safety Plan failed during Thursday night's virtual workshop meeting. School board Members Keith McCarrick and Raeann Hofkin cast the only votes in favor of the action item.

            Citing concerns over the district's mandatory rapid antigen testing for its spring athletes, McCarrick made the motion. President Melanie Cunningham, Vice President Judith Maginnis, Kerry Drake, Dana Hipszer and Stephen Cunningham voted against the motion. Mike Elliot and Peg Pennepacker did not participate in the meeting, hosted on Zoom.

            McCarrick requested that it be added to the meeting agenda. He said he hoped to rescind the current plan, then move to pass a new one without the COVID-19 testing.

            Initially, McCarrick attempted to make a motion to remove the testing from the plan, which was approved. However, Solicitor Kyle Somers interjected that a motion to rescind the entire plan would be appropriate based on the way the initial item was passed. He said five affirmative votes would be necessary to succeed.

            McCarrick expressed regret for his March 11 vote to ratify the Spring Health and Safety Plan. He said he never supported the idea of forcing athletes to get tested for the novel coronavirus as a condition of their participation.

            "I will no longer vote for any mandatory testing for our kids," McCarrick said prior to the vote.