Update: Hundreds of students again refuse to wear masks, in violation of state mandate
Hundreds of Oakdale Joint Unified students refused to wear masks on Wednesday and Thursday as parents protested California’s mask mandate outside campuses, Superintendent Dave Kline said.
Students who did not wear or accept masks across all grade levels created a “difficult” and time-consuming situation for school officials, who are required by law to ensure students wear face coverings indoors, Kline said Wednesday. “Small numbers” of people protested, he said.
“They’re very upset with the mask mandate,” Kline said. “They want to see that going away.”
But, he added, “This is something that we’re still required to do.”
Kline said 375 students did not wear masks on Wednesday, and 344 on Thursday.
Masks have been proven to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by protecting both the person wearing the mask and others around them.
California’s statewide mask mandate for indoor public spaces runs through Feb. 15. However, the California Department of Public Health has issued separate rules for K-12 schools that include an indoor mask requirement for all students — and all adults when students are present.
The California public health agency says schools should “offer alternative educational opportunities for students who are excluded from campus because they will not wear a face covering.”
Kline said when a student shows up to school without a mask, the child is brought to the school front office and offered one. If the student refuses the mask provided, school staff offer a face shield.
They call parents to discuss accommodations such as periodic mask breaks outside, Kline said. They talk with students about those options, too.
If students still say no, staff find an “alternative setting” on campus, Kline said.
On Wednesday, for example, elementary school students completed the school day in cafeterias, and high school students went to a gymnasium, Kline said. Site administrators oversaw these students with support from classified staff, Kline said.
District officials are looking at ways to streamline the communication process on masks. Moving forward, a message will be sent to parents whose students did not wear masks.
The Oakdale Police Department confirmed Wednesday afternoon that protests related to the mask mandate took place at a few schools. “These gatherings have been small in nature and have been peaceful,” the department’s Facebook post read.
Protests began Tuesday
Two elementary school students refused to wear masks on Tuesday, and about 15 people protested outside Fair Oaks Elementary School, Kline said. That was the first time students have refused to wear masks to that extent at an Oakdale elementary school, Kline said.
District officials talked with them and provided face shields to use as an alternative to masks, Kline said. He’s been meeting with parents who are protesting throughout the week.
A parent posted on Facebook that she sent her children to school without masks and told them to refuse to put on masks. When school staff called and told her to pick up her children, she did not, according to her post.
Kline noted that the district is complying with the mask mandate because it’s the law.
“I want to do everything that we can do to keep our schools open,” he said.
Parents still following mask rules
At Fair Oaks Elementary on Thursday morning, kids climbed out of cars with colorful masks covering their faces. Other students walked onto school grounds with masks strung around their ears and chin or without a mask in sight. Masks aren’t required outdoors.
A parent who asked not to share her name said she and her children wear masks to protect medically vulnerable family members, but she understands others’ choices.
“Some people don’t believe the same thing, and I respect that,” she said.
Another parent who asked not to be named said that before the school year began, she said she explained to her children in TK and second grade why masks were important. They love coming to school, she said, so they’ll do whatever they need to do.
“It’s not really that big of a deal,” she said about wearing masks.
The parent said she wasn’t worried by other children not wearing masks. She said she understands where families who oppose masks are coming from. It’s “their choice,” she said.
Let Them Breathe organization gets involved
The parents and students protesting got support from Let Them Breathe, an organization based in San Diego that opposes mask and vaccine mandates. The group posted a video to Twitter on Wednesday showing unmasked students spaced out in chairs in a gym.
“These kids are following the governor’s example and we are here to legally support their rights,” the post read. Gov. Gavin Newsom was photographed Sunday without a mask at Sunday’s NFL game in Los Angeles between the 49ers and Rams..
Let Them Breathe created a GoFundMe account Wednesday to “Support Smiling Students” with legal action. The organization has sued the state over mask mandates, coronavirus testing and quarantine policies, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. A San Diego County judge dismissed the group’s lawsuit in November, according to the Union-Tribune.
COVID vaccine mandate
Oakdale’s school board decided in December to not enforce California’s vaccine mandate for students and staff. With approval from all but one trustee, the board passed a resolution saying it would petition the state to downgrade the vaccine requirement to a recommendation due in part to parents’ safety concerns.
The resolution says the district will not deny employment or access to in-person learning because of COVID-19 vaccination status. Stanislaus County Superintendent Scott Kuykendall made similar arguments in November.
Research shows vaccines are the most effective public health tool to protect people from Covid-19, according to the CDC.
At the board meeting in which the resolution passed, some community members complained that trustees did not go so far as to take a stance against mask mandates, too. Board member Michael House said he wanted to keep the resolution focused to avoid bureaucratic challenges that might arise if masks were incorporated.
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 12:41 PM.
