Mask mandate muffles LUSD plea
State health officials issue guidance requiring students to wear masks next school year
Last month, the Lodi Unified School District’s Board of Education approved a resolution to send a letter to state legislators, asking lawmakers to relax mask requirements for elementary school students.
Now, it seems that effort has been quashed for the time being as the California Department of Public Health issues new face covering guidelines for students in all K-12 grade levels.
According to new guidelines from the CDPH released last Friday, students and staff are required to continue wearing masks indoors on campus, regardless of vaccination status.
The agency issued the mandate after determining it was difficult for districts to accommodate the recommended six feet of social distancing in school settings as districts reopen to in-person instruction.
“We know that some families may be disappointed and frustrated by this continued mask requirement,” LUSD superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer said in statement to the community Monday.
“The Lodi USD board of education recently passed a resolution acknowledging that the district must follow state requirements but also encouraging state leaders to lift the mask requirement at schools,” she added.
In its announcement last Friday, the CDPH said the continued masking guidance “will ensure all kids are treated the same,” and that all districts would have access to free COVID-19 testing.
The CDPH announcement came on the heels of new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which stated “When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least three feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking.”
Dr. Mark Ghaly, the California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary, said Friday that the state applauded the CDC’s commitment to ensuring schools are fully and safely reopened.
Because many of the state’s school facilities cannot accommodate physical distancing, Ghaly said the CDPH will align with CDC guidelines by implementing multiple layers of mitigation strategies.
“Masking is a simple and effective intervention that does not interfere with offering full in-person instruction,” Ghaly said. “At the outset of the new year, students should be able to walk into school without worrying about whether they will feel different or singled out for being vaccinated or unvaccinated — treating all kids the same will suApport a calm and supportive school environment.”
While children as young as 12 are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC has not provided guidance as to how schools will know which students are vaccinated, or how parents will know which teacher or school employee have been vaccinated.
According to LUSD, as of March about 2,000 employees were vaccinated through the San Joaquin County Office of Education, of which 4,793 were eligible. Another 70 employees received a vaccination through a Walgreens pop-up clinic at the district office.
The district said it did not know how many employees received a vaccine through other sources, and did not know how many had not been vaccinated.
The state’s new mask mandate for students and school employees comes as the Delta variant of COVID-19 makes its way across the country in recent weeks.
According to San Joaquin County Public Health Services, there have been 16 cases of the variant as of last July 6, and it will likely increase given its spread and growing predominance among all strains of COVID-19.
“We are seeing increases in cases and hospitalizations across the entire state, including San Joaquin County,” said Dr. Maggie Park, the county’s public health officer. “This should be a serious reminder that unvaccinated residents should consider getting the COVID19 vaccine as soon as possible before another surge occurs in our area.”