LA GRANDE — La Grande School District students and their parents now have a clearer idea of what to expect in the 2021-22 school year in terms of COVID-19 safety restrictions.

The La Grande School Board voted to approve an operations plan which addressed COVID-19 safety rules and includes a requirement that all students have to wear masks while indoors in most circumstances. This rule conforms to Gov. Kate Brown’s July 29 directive to make the wearing of masks indoors at all schools mandatory because of increasing COViD-19 infection rates. The directive took effect Aug. 2.

The operations plan approved by the school board also calls for students to attend school as members of cohorts, adhere to local distancing rules, wash their hands frequently, have longer school days than in 2020-21 and more.

The school board voted for the operations plan after many people expressed opposition to mandatory mask wearing rules during a public comment period and in a rally before the meeting. Assistant La Grade School District Superintendent Scott Carpenter said the public input could help lead to a lifting of the mask requirement in the future. Carpenter said the public testimony will be used by La Grande School District Superintendent George Mendoza to encourage Brown to later give school districts more local control with regard to mask rules. 

Carpenter said that if school districts receive this local control La Grande would be in a position to lift the requirement under the plan approved Wednesday. He explained that the operation plan would allow the district to lift the requirement if COVID-19 infection rates fall to certain levels after being given local control. 

Community protest

Prior to the August school board meeting, a group of community members gathered to protest the recent mask mandate handed down from Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday, July 29. Brown authorized the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Health Authority to mandate masks usage in indoor settings for grades K-12, as well as for staff, volunteers and visitors.

The Union County Freedom Alliance, in collaboration with the La Grande and Union County Parents Against Masking Children Facebook group, organized the protest in front of Central Elementary School prior to the meeting.

The protesters organized a prayer session and protested with posters and signs in the period leading up to the school board meeting. Over 800 members joined the Facebook group, with a crowd of over 50 attending the protest on Wednesday. During the 45-minute public comment section, concerned parents and citizens voiced their opinions to the board and crowd in attendance.

“I think at the heart of it, we really have a deep concern for our children,” said Blake Bars of the Union County Freedom Alliance. “We want to stand up for their health, safety and freedom.

Megan Tuutau, organizer of the Facebook group, stated that she will homeschool her children as opposed to sending them to school with a face covering.

“People that want to put their kids in masks, they can do that,” Tuutau said. “We’re not trying to force people to not wear masks.”

Tuutau noted that the La Grande School Board is in a difficult position regarding mask mandates.

“I truly believe that our fight is above the school board,” she said. “But, that’s not going to stop us from letting them know how we feel. We can’t figure anything out if we don’t talk to each other and try to work something out.”

Bars echoed a similar sentiment, noting that the protestors and school board both ultimately want the best for students.

“I think at the heart of it, we have a really deep concern for our children,” he said. “At the end of the day, everybody on both sides of this is well-intentioned and wanting to do what’s right for kids’ safety.”