Clovis schools to allow parents to seek COVID mask exemptions without doctor’s note
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Original story:
Clovis Unified trustees voted Thursday to give parents the option to exempt their children from wearing masks when students return to school this year.
Students no longer need a doctor to exempt them from mask-wearing.
During Thursday’s special school board meeting, trustees were careful to note that face masks are required in California schools, and students can’t refuse to wear one simply because they don’t want to.
Parents and staff can file a form, which offers several different options for exemptions, including medical, disability, hearing impaired, and mental health.
The mental health exemption is new for this school year, officials said.
Clovis trustees handed down the decision a day after Fresno-area health officials reported increasing coronavirus infections among young people. In Fresno County, hospitals are seeing more youth visits to emergency rooms for COVID-19 symptoms than the elderly, the Fresno County Department of Health announced Thursday.
The overall increase of cases is likely due to the Delta variant, “which is much more contagious and affecting younger populations,” said Dr. John Zweifler, Public Health Physician.
“These data are a sobering premonition for what we can expect once schools reopen this fall,” said Dr. Rais Vohra, Interim Health Officer. “We anticipate that Fresno County will continue to see a rise in COVID-19 case counts in our younger populations during the first few weeks of school.
“This is a critical moment in our community’s response to the pandemic, and the best way to protect school-aged children, their families, and our whole community, is to use the prevention measures that we know can work to decrease case transmissions and to get vaccinated as soon as possible if you are eligible.”
The board also passed a resolution advocating for more local control around making COVID-19 decisions, such as masking.
The resolution states the district has already “undertaken substantial efforts to lower the risk posed by COVID-19, including overhauling the HVAC systems at district sites, and ensuring effective cleaning and disinfection protocols are implemented.”
Face coverings have adverse impacts on students, especially those with hearing disabilities and those learning language pronunciation, the resolution continues. Masks hamper the ability of students “to communicate and interpret the expressions of their peers, negatively impacting their socialization and mental health.”
Masks also hinder the ability of teachers to create and foster a connection with students, the resolution reads.
The resolution also states that school-aged children are “substantially less likely to contract and transmit COVID-19 than the general population.” However, updated CDC research says that might be due to mass daycare and school closures in the last year, which left children less likely to be in contact with others outside their household.
The Association of Clovis Educators, which has been pushing for a teachers union in the district, released a statement supporting following public health guidelines.
“The school district is obligated to protect employee and student health to the greatest extent possible,” said Kristin Heimerdinger, a Buchanan teacher, and ACE spokesperson. “Allowing parents to make medical decisions that could have consequences for others seems contrary to both public health goals and public school district obligations.”
Currently, all residents at least 12 years old are eligible to receive a vaccination to protect against the coronavirus.
The resolution will be sent to the state and county health department, the governor, the superintendent of schools, and other elected officials.
This story was originally published July 29, 2021 at 10:19 PM.