Only doctors can make mask exemptions, state says. Will Clovis Unified change policy?

Just days before school begins, teachers from both Fresno and Clovis urged Clovis Unified to revisit its mask exemption policy, citing updated health guidance that says a doctor’s exemption is required to not wear a mask in school.

Clovis Unified trustees voted on July 29 to let parents attest to whether their children can wear masks by filling out a form.

The California Department of Public health updated its question and answer guide on Friday, stating that any exemptions “must be made by a physician, nurse practitioner, or other licensed medical professional practicing under the license of a physician. Self-attestation and parental attestation for mask exemptions due to the aforementioned conditions do not constitute medical determinations.”

Health officials also said that if a person cannot wear a mask, an alternative is required, “such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it.”

Clovis Unified trustees removed the alternative face-covering requirement for the district when they voted in July.

At the time of the vote, CUSD spokesperson Kelly Avants said California 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.”

Reached on Monday morning, Avants said the district was reviewing the updated guidance and planned to comment later Monday.

ACE, FTA, Valley Children’s

Over the weekend, the Association of Clovis Educators, which has been pushing the district to unionize, urged the administration “to prioritize the health and safety of our kids so we can keep our classrooms open and limit interruptions to the school year.”

“(The) updated guidance is clear and unambiguous regarding masking in public schools,” the organization said in a social media post.

ACE also called on the district’s faculty senate to support its stance on asking the district to follow the updated guidance.

The Fresno Teachers Association, on Facebook, also said it stood with ACE in urging the district to revisit the exemption policy. In a post on Saturday, the union called out CUSD Board President Steven Fogg.

“Thanks for the follow, Steven Gary Fogg,” the post read. “Now, if you and the other Clovis Unified School District board members could just follow the CDPH guidance on mask-wearing in schools.”

Todd Suntrapak, the CEO of Valley Children’s Healthcare, criticized trustees in a letter dated Thursday that emerged publicly over the weekend.

Suntrapak described some comments made during the July 29 meeting as “inaccurate, and even wildly flawed” in their reference to the hospital and the COVID pandemic.

Suntrapak was specifically critical of remarks trustees made about national and regional guidance not being useful because the organizations issuing the guidance aren’t from the area and/or don’t understand Clovis.

”I truly believe your board did not mean to accept the flawed position that CUSD could possibly have a separate and distinct COVID experience, carved out from the rest of Fresno County, California or the nation.”

Responding to Suntrapak, Fogg, over the weekend, told The Bee he was grateful to Suntrapak for passing along such great information. He said the district is still following the state mask mandates while trusting parents to make choices for their children without having the burden of getting in to see a pediatrician, something that can be difficult with school approaching so quickly.

“We on the Clovis board feel that our parents are intelligent and caring people, and they will make the right decisions or their children.”

The mask controversy comes as Fresno County health officials reported increasing coronavirus infections among young people.

Hospitalizations of patients under the age of 18 have increased by 20% since May, according to the county’s Department of Public Health.

Valley Children’s had twice as many COVID-19 hospitalizations in July than it did in June, according to statistics included in Suntrapak’s letter.

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 August 9, 2021 at 11:08 AM.