Mask revolt underway in East Pierce County schools. Officials say they’re following rules
In the last month, dozens of parents with kids in East Pierce County school districts have held protests, started letter campaigns and spoken at school board meetings in opposition to mask requirements for students.
School districts have responded by saying they can’t remove the face-covering requirement for the upcoming school year without state approval.
The state Department of Health said its reviewing mask mandates for next year, and change could occur over the summer.
Tera Green, a parent at the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District, is advocating for parents to have the choice of whether students should wear masks.
“My child is my responsibility. It’s not your responsibility to determine what is best for them. It is up to the parents,” Green told The News Tribune.
Sumner-Bonney Lake had the school resource officer and two campus safety officers present before and during the June 8 board meeting after dozens of parents showed up to protest.
Parents and staff spoke for more than an hour about mask choice, the district’s communication and critical race theory.
Green and others complained that mask breaks, when teachers allow students to remove face coverings, were up to teachers’ discretion.
“You have some teachers who think the masks are the answer to everything and couldn’t give or provide very many mask breaks,” she told The News Tribune. “Then you have other teachers who use common sense and go, these masks are ineffective, and kids don’t need them.”
Elle Warmuth, communications director for Sumner-Bonney Lake School District, confirmed that teachers determine when and how often mask breaks are needed. All elementary schools allow mask-free recess, she said.
East Pierce County school districts have said they will continue to follow state masking requirements.
Katy Payne is director of communications for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Payne said districts are required by governor proclamation to follow the mandates with state health and safety guidance.
Tara Lee, a spokesperson for Gov. Jay Inslee’s office, told The News Tribune on June 25 that if a district decides to remove the mask mandate, there would be conversations with the district administration to “ fully understand the mandate and the impact it would have on the health and safety of their students and their employees.”
Asked further about repercussions, Lee said “I think it is premature to be speculating on what kinds of consequences there will be. We are working to educate all school districts on why this is important for their students and their staff.”
She added that discussion about repercussions would be had among state agencies like OSPI, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.
Sumner-Bonney Lake board president Deb Norris said the district is doing everything it can to make it safe for children but it’s bound by rules.
“I’m hoping in the fall this won’t be an issue,” she said in the June 8 board meeting.
Parents in school board meetings across the county have claimed there are low transmission rates in states without mask mandates for schools, but infection rates at schools vary from state to state.
Reports from early in the pandemic found children less likely than adults to be infected with COVID-19.
A November to December CDC study in Georgia compared infection rates at 169 K-5 schools where some required masks and others did not.
Requiring masks for students lowered transmission but was not deemed “statistically significant.”
“The 21 percent lower incidence in schools that required mask use among students was not statistically significant compared with schools where mask use was optional,” the federal study said. “This finding might be attributed to higher effectiveness of masks among adults, who are at higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection but might also result from differences in mask-wearing behavior among students in schools with optional requirements.”
The CDC issued new guidance on May 13, lifting the mask requirement for those who are vaccinated in outdoor and many indoor situations, but federal guidance continues to recommend students wear masks for the 2020-2021 school year.
Regardless of the level of community transmission, the CDC said it is critical that schools use prevention strategies like wearing masks, practicing social distancing and washing hands.
The Washington State Department of Health’s guidance continues to require all students, staff and visitors in K-12 schools wear face coverings indoors and outdoors if social distancing isn’t kept.
“Wearing masks in school settings has made a huge difference in keeping the spread of COVID-19 low within schools this year,” department spokesperson Katie Pope said. “We have not made any updates related to face coverings for the next school year.”
The state health department reported in June that between Aug. 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021, there were a total of 237 COVID‐19 outbreaks in K‐12 schools. A reported 909 COVID-19 cases were associated with those outbreaks, 72 of which were reported in Pierce County.
The state will review data about COVID-19 transmission in schools over the summer.
“It is likely the guidance will be updated over the summer prior to the start of the school year, but we cannot predict what those updates might be at this time,” Pope said.
Other school districts
The Puyallup School Board had its own hour of public comment in the June 7 meeting. Parent Marcie Davis told the board the mental health of students is more concerning than the coronavirus pandemic.
“That is the real pandemic we have going on with our children: depression, anxiety and alienation that has only been furthered by your illogical school closures and mask mandates,” she said to applause from other parents.
District director of communications Sarah Gillispie said state masking orders will be followed.
“We are aware of some parent concern and community opposition with regards to masking guidelines,” she said in an email. “This summer, we will continue to monitor state updates and adjust health and safety protocols based on DOH and L&I guidance.”
Bethel School District has received complaints from parents on face coverings, but all COVID-19 health requirements — including masks — will remain in place until the health department deems otherwise, spokesperson Doug Boyles said.
“So we will continue to require masks for staff and students across the district. All COVID-19 related health requirements remain the same for all Bethel Schools,” he said in an email.
Eatonville said it will follow the mask mandate as well, after parents spoke up at the May 26 board meeting against face coverings. Board members said they all “feel one way,” but there are “financial ramifications on the other end,” member Matt Marshall said.
“We are forced a lot polices that we don’t necessarily believe in,” Marshall said in the meeting. “We need to continue to lobby our officials so that we can actually advocate that our kids can come back with the option of a mask rather than a mandate of a mask and the option of a vaccine rather than a mandate of a vaccine. “
Orting School District communications officer Holly Mortenson said they will follow state orders, but families are concerned whether masks will be a requirement for the 2021-22 school year.
Enumclaw parents were scheduled to hold a protest on June 19 at the Enumclaw Library to advocate for mask choice in the upcoming school year. The district will follow state guidance, but supports the families advocating for students.
“It is important the leaders of our state hear from families about how children are being impacted by the circumstances of the pandemic,” spokesperson Jessica McCartney said.
