After a week that went mostly virtual, Burns Flat-Dill City Public Schools has decided to enact a mask requirement.
In a statement put out on Friday, August 27, Burns Flat-Dill City Public Schools Superintendent Larry Johnson laid out his reasoning for the requirement.
“My first priority as an educator and a district leader is the health and safety of our students and staff,” Johnson said. “The new Delta variant is here and spreading.”
Johnson compared the start of this school year, which has so far seen 15 COVID cases in the first week and a half, to last year’s ten cases in the entire school year during which mask-wearing was required.
The Delta variant’s increased infection rate is what led to this decision with Johnson emphasizing that the variant is “more contagious than the measles.”
“It has become critically important to protect the youngest in our community,” Johnson said. “It is time for us to do as much as we possibly can to safeguard those who learn and work within our school district.”
Masks are required to be worn by students in grades first through twelfth regardless of their vaccination status, as well as employees, parents/legal guardians, and visitors. This must be done while on school property, in school vehicles, and at indoor school-sponsored events.
“I have lowered the student age requirement from last year because doctors tell us that our youth are much more at risk now than they were last year. It is my duty to keep our students, staff and community safe, and I do not take that obligation lightly.”
The schools plan to provide masks, and Johnson stated that masks can be removed under certain stipulations such as being alone in an enclosed private workspace, or while participating in activities in which a face mask cannot practically be worn.
This year, the school is also providing parents/legal guardians with an exemption form to opt-out of the mask requirement should there be any medical, reli gious, or strong personal reason to do so.
Though Gov. Kevin Stitt passed legislation that would make it illegal for school boards to require masks at school, a loophole has been used in other schools around the state as the legislation does not bar superintendents from enacting the requirement.
“I appreciate that school districts like Santa Fe Charter Schools and Oklahoma City Public Schools are respecting parents’ rights to decide what is best for the health of their children and opt-out of mask requirements if they choose,” Governor Stitt said in a statement earlier this month.
However, Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor said that his office will begin to file lawsuits against public school districts that appear to violate the recently passed law.
We reached out to Superintendent Johnson asking if he felt that Burns Flat-Dill City Public Schools may end up on the list of schools the attorney general plans to sue, but we did not receive an answer in time for publication.
Looking over at Cordell Public School, Superintendent Brad Overton said that Cordell Schools have had a good handle on dealing with
COVID thus far.
“So far we are dealing with COVID pretty well. We have had six students attend school while being infected which has [led] to the district [quarantining] over 50 students,” Overton said. “The Return to Learn Plan has provided us guidance and helps us to stay consistent in how we deal with COVID 19.” Compared to last year,
Overton said that there were very few cases at this point, but that cases began to increase around November.
Going forward, Overton said he does not foresee Cordell Schools mandating masks, however, should masks be required he said that an opt-out provision could be provided.
Overall, Johnson said he ultimately enacted this mask requirement in an attempt to keep students in the classroom and avoid going virtual, as he believes that “students learn better when they are in the classroom.”
“It is imperative that our students are able to have in-person learning. In order to do that, mask requirements are necessary,” Johnson said. “If we all come together to do everything we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we will have a more successful school year.”