Fresno County won’t step into masks-in-schools controversy. Here’s why
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to support local school boards’ authority to make decisions on masks and other pandemic measures — noting schools are regulated by the state and not county leaders.
The resolution was sponsored by Supervisors Steve Brandau and Buddy Mendes.
The vote came after the Clovis Unified School District on July 29 decided to give parents power to exempt their children from masks during classroom instruction. But then district leaders said Monday they would change course and follow the state protocol on masks.
California health department officials said mask exemptions in K-12 schools could only be made by doctors, and not parents. Those who cannot wear a mask must wear an alternate face covering, such as a shield, if possible, officials said.
Brandau said county leaders have been dragged into past controversies over schoolchildren and pandemic measures, and Tuesday’s resolution is an attempt to send a message to parents and school trustees.
“Parents were agitated and frustrated and somehow the county of Fresno got pulled into the mix,” he said. “We want to send a clear message that we want to be helpful to the different school boards. We are not going to get in the middle.”
Mendes also noted that schools are the purview of state officials, including the California Department of Public Health. “(Schools) do have to do what the state tells them,” he said.
The county has 32 school districts of varying sizes, officials said. The resolution allows each district to do what makes sense for them.
Small rural districts may have more flexibility on bringing children back to the classroom than a massive district like Fresno Unified School District, according to Supervisor Nathan Magsig.
The decision from Clovis Unified in July drew the condemnation of Valley Children’s Healthcare CEO Todd Suntrapak, who wrote a letter to Clovis school board president Dr. Steven Fogg.
“Masks are well-documented to slow the spread of the pandemic — along with the spread of other childhood illnesses like the flu or RSV. Wearing a mask does not inhibit a child’s breathing, make them sick, or transmit bacteria,” Suntrapak wrote in the Aug. 5 letter.
“The national recommendations for kids to get back to school wearing a mask is one we fully support.”
This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 11:25 AM.
