Are students subject to the mask order? Gavin Newsom says California doesn’t know yet
California issued a mandatory mask order last week, but state officials are still debating whether students should have to comply once schools reopen.
During a Thursday press conference to provide COVID-19 updates, Gov. Gavin Newsom said a mask mandate for students remains under discussion.
“We are continuing to work forward to clarify that because it is a more complicated question than you can imagine based on the 1,000-plus school districts and the many, the myriad of opinions that are coming back,” the Democratic governor said.
To slow the spread of COVID-19 in California, a state that’s seeing an uptick in the positive test rate and hospitalizations as the economy reopens, Newsom issued a mandatory face covering requirement on June 18. The order applies to public spaces and anywhere someone can’t safely distance from other people, but did not include explicit directions for schools.
To reopen safely, the California Department of Education had already urged students to wear face coverings as much as possible in its reopening guidebook published earlier this month. The California Department of Public Health similarly encourages students wear masks.
Newsom said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, school district representatives and California State Board of Education members are currently discussing whether to toughen that guidance in light of the mask order.
The governor said a decision on mask requirements in school hinges in part on budget discussions and how Americans with Disabilities Act requirements factor into the discussion, though he did not elaborate.
“We’ve had many conversations with (the public health department) and we appreciate their efforts to ensure their guidance is aligned with the Governor’s most recent order,” education department spokesman Daniel Thigpen said in an email. “As the Governor noted in his remarks today, this is an evolving matter, and we look forward to helping schools navigate implementation as final guidance is updated.”
The pandemic has pushed school leaders and teachers to reimagine what it will take to keep classrooms coronavirus-free through frequent handwashing, social distancing and elevated sanitation protocol. A recurring question has been whether young students can handle wearing masks for hours a day without touching their faces.
Districts and teachers unions have also requested more funding, despite a budget crisis, to implement the recommendations.
“When we bring more than 6 million students back to school for in-person instruction, we need to make sure the state has fulfilled its obligation to provide appropriate protective equipment, masks and supplies for deep and continuous sanitization of school campuses and transportation systems,” said California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd in a statement.
Lawmakers raised concern during a recent hearing that districts will be vulnerable to lawsuits over the mask mandates. School leaders also expressed worry that a mask requirement would lead to litigation.
“Schools aren’t supposed to be a cash cow for a lawyer,” said Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, during a June 16 Education Committee hearing. “They’re supposed to be places for students to learn. If we’re not careful, schools are going to become someone’s cash cow. And ultimately, it’s gonna fall on the taxpayer.”
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Are students subject to the mask order? Gavin Newsom says California doesn’t know yet."