Oakdale school board says it will take another look at mask enforcement
Oakdale Joint Unified trustees told parents Tuesday evening that the district will confer with other districts that have stopped enforcing the state mask mandate.
About 15 parents and students spoke at Tuesday night’s board meeting, which was rescheduled from Feb. 7 after trustees and employees received threats from mask protesters.
The students and parents who spoke complained about how employees treated the more than 300 students who chose not to wear masks across various district schools. They claimed children were refused help with schoolwork, left in cold rooms and limited to one bathroom break a day. They also criticized Superintendent Dave Kline for allowing this alleged treatment to happen.
In previous interviews with The Bee, Kline has said many of the claims don’t tell the full story. The gym was cold because it’s typically kept cooler for exercising students, for example.
Like other districts across the state, Oakdale is legally required to follow rules on masks set by the California Department of Public Health. Though the department plans to reconsider it on Feb. 28, the mandate remains in place.
But since the general statewide mandate for fully vaccinated individuals was lifted Feb. 15, a few districts — including the Roseville Joint Union High School and El Dorado Union High School districts — have said they no longer will enforce masking for their students. Parents said Oakdale should follow suit.
“We absolutely will” reach out to confer with such districts, board President Diane Gilbert said.
One mom said children are being harmed because of the board’s refusal to change operations and make masking optional. “Do the right thing for these kids that are clearly suffering,” the parent said.
Parents threatened to vote out board members who didn’t meet their demands, including trustees who said last night and in previous meetings that they also don’t agree with all the state rules. Three of the members’ terms expire this year.
Board Clerk Tina Shatswell, whose term does not expire until 2024, apologized through tears after listening to one woman speak about her son’s experience being kept outside in 43-degree weather. “I’m sorry that happened to you,” Shatswell told the boy.
The mother was Jennifer Poth, the first to post on Facebook about sending her two young sons to school without masks and telling them to refuse to wear them. Her son was kept outside for the day because he would not wear his mask.
“Imagine being an 8-year-old boy who simply didn’t want to cover his smile anymore,” Poth said.
Students said they couldn’t do work because Chromebooks weren’t connected to the internet and were sick of wearing masks that kept them from seeing their peers’ faces.
Speakers also denied claims that students and parents who do not like the mandate have been aggressive or threatening toward trustees and employees. However, The Bee reviewed videos, emails and phone messages sent to school officials that included threats and profane language.
At one point, a parent threatened employees at Oakdale High School in person. People also called school officials child abusers and said they should be jailed over the situation.
Previously, the district’s insurance company said it would not cover potential cases regarding COVID-19 if OJUSD did not follow the state’s mask mandate, Kline said. The district also could be fined by Cal-OSHA, and the school board and administrators could face criminal liability, he said.
“We cannot break the law,” Kline said.
Education reporter Emily Isaacman contributed to this story.
This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
