Will some Clovis parents lie so kids won’t have to wear masks in school? Trustee hopes not

After voting to give parents the option to exempt their children from wearing masks without doctor verification, Clovis Unified trustee Steven Fogg said he hopes parents are truthful when filling out their exemption forms.

Trustees voted Thursday to give parents the option to exempt their children from wearing masks when students return to school this year.

Parents and staff can file a form with their school, 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.

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.

Fogg said he believes there should only be a relatively small number of students who qualify for exemptions.

“I’m hoping that people don’t use this mask exemption just because they don’t want to wear a mask,” Fogg said during Thursday’s meeting. “I don’t think that’s what it’s really designed for.”

Fogg said he does believe that parents know their children best. As an ophthalmologist, he said when parents come into his office, “and they say something’s wrong, they’re right until I can see something different because parents are very attuned to their children.”

He said he’d be disappointed if parents said they just don’t want their kids to wear masks because of political views or that they just “disagree with the government.

“I don’t think that’s gonna fly,” he said, “I don’t support you in that.”

CUSD spokesperson Kelly Avants said California has required mask-wearing with some exemptions, but left local districts to figure out how to enforce the mandate.

“CDPH is silent on whether or not additional documentation should be required,” Avants said in an emailed statement to The Bee, “so it’s a choice for the board to make.”

Many Clovis parents upset over COVID mask requirements

Several Clovis parents spoke out Thursday about the many challenges children have faced during the coronavirus pandemic, including problems wearing masks. Some cited breathing troubles or trouble with speaking and hearing.

One parent, whose name could not immediately be verified, said masks were dangerous to her child.

“Masks don’t always mean safe and healthy ... and I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but doctors are not always right,” she said, looking to a group of UCSF pediatricians in the room who had spoken earlier to the board in support of not letting parents control masking decisions.

She told the board she wasn’t going to sign an exemption form but would be bringing her child to the first day of school because she works and can’t put him on independent study.

“If there are parents who are scared of their child contracting COVID, they can choose other options of education,” she said.

The woman said she had spoken to someone at her child’s school who said she could go to jail for truancy if her child did not attend some sort of school.

“I prefer not to go to jail, but if that’s where this takes me, then here we are.”

Superintendent Eimear O’Farrell said, even with Thursday’s vote, the situation could still change. For example, O’Farrell noted, health officials could soon decide to force schools to require medical verification for mask exemptions, nullifying Thursday’s decision.

“I’ve heard parents say that depending on the outcome of tonight’s meeting with the board, (they) will be making decisions about whether they will continue with the enrollment of their children in Clovis Unified or take them out,” she said.

Dr. New Sang, who owns Sang Pediatrics in Fresno, cautioned the board that the new Delta variant of COVID has twice the infectivity of the first COVID-19 virus.

For every person who gets sick with the Delta variant, it spreads on average to six people, according to Sang.

COVID-19 and the Delta variant

Clovis trustees handed down their 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 CUSD board on Thursday 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.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Read more from The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published July 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM.