Grant County parents and school district officials continued to push back against Gov. Kate Brown’s mask mandate for students and staff in schools during the Aug. 11 session of Grant County Court.

Based on Centers for Disease Control recommendations, the governor’s mandate responded to the highly contagious delta variant of coronavirus.

Like many district leaders across Oregon, Prairie City School District Superintendent Casey Hallgarth was frustrated and puzzled about why the state stripped the district of local control seemingly out of nowhere.

“Why are we starting back at Ground Zero?” Hallgarth said. “Why is it a top-down decision?”

Hallgarth said last year he and the district would base their decisions on the data and said they have a good relationship with the county’s health department.

Hallgarth said Prairie City School District never had a large outbreak last year and leaned on the health department for guidance.

He said the district is frustrated and supports those who choose to wear a face covering and supports those who do not want to wear one. And, Hallgarth noted, he made that “perfectly clear.”

“It should be a choice, though,” he said. “And that’s where we stand at the school.”

Concerned parents

Ryan Courtney told the court that he and his wife have been homeschooling their two kids and had intended on sending them to in-person classes in the fall, but now, after Brown’s announcement face coverings would be mandated, he and many parents that could not be at county court are having second thoughts unless they see pushback against the “continued madness” from the state.

Courtney said he hoped to gain the court’s support in getting local control decision-making back to the districts and out of the hands of the state.

“We have smart administrators who have been working tirelessly with their staff, school boards, and parents to create an atmosphere where kids want to learn and want to come to school, but still provide for COVID safety,” Courtney said.

Hamsher told Courtney that the Eastern Oregon Counties Association, which represents more than 10 counties, would be sending a letter that Grant County signed to ask for local control of school districts.

County Judge Scott Myers told Courtney that the county does not have the power to take back local control of its school districts from the state.

“Some people might be mistaken in thinking that the county has power beyond a voice,” he said. “We don’t have the power to make those things happen.”

County Commissioner Sam Palmer said he was “quite disturbed” that a state law that suspends a requirement for basic skills testing in math, reading and writing — which, in his opinion, is based on color — was signed by the governor on Aug. 10.

He said this is about more than a mask mandate. The state, he said, is trying to control the youth in an attempt to change society.

According to the bill’s text, the measure temporarily eliminates essential skills testing through the 2022-2023 school year. In addition, according to the text, the Oregon Department of Education compares Oregon’s diploma requirements with other states and recommendations for state requirements to reduce disparities.

He said he stands for “freedom” to choose, and he supports whichever decision a parent makes for their child.

Liability to teachers, staff and administrators

Hallgarth said he is concerned about the liability that teachers and education assistants face should a kid refuse to wear a mask, or how someone might interpret how a staff member enforces the rule.

He said this opens the door for someone who disagrees with how the school is enforcing the rules or reading the interpretive guidance who could file a complaint with the Oregon Safety and Health Administration.

The penalty can range from $8,600 to $126,000, depending on how OSHA rates the level of noncompliance.

Hallgarth said he has worked to build relationships with the staff and create a culture within the district, and the enforcement guidelines pit people against each other.

Losing teachers and staff

Prairie City High School teacher Billy Colson said he likes the word “empowerment.” He said the county should have more local control, and the state should trust and empower regions to make those decisions.

He said he has a daughter who could “survive” online school, but his 7-year-old son needs to be in the classroom. Colson said his only concern is whether or not his son has to wear a mask.

Recently, he said he found out his son is a seventh-generation Oregonian.

“My great-great-great-something came over in a covered wagon,” Colson said. “And we spent last night looking at where are we going to go when they force the vaccine on our kids and us out of the state of Oregon.”

What is the county’s authority?

A member of the audience who said she was a federal employee and a parent asked what the county would do to help teachers, administrators and children.

She asked the county to “think outside of the box” if the governor said no to giving the county local control.

Hamsher said the county could face liability if they were to tell a school district to flout pandemic restrictions. Likewise, he told her a teacher could sue if they were to lose their certifications, and the county’s insurance company could drop the county, leaving the county without legal protection.

Palmer said he could not put a “price tag” on people’s freedoms.

“So I’m going to abuse your child?” he said. “I am going to abuse an adult by making them get a shot? When do we say enough is enough?”

Myers said the court is not in a position to back someone’s personal decision not to send their kid to school and not to wear a mask. However, he said they are doing what they can to advocate for local control.

Does mandating masks slow the spread of the delta variant?

Dr. Ibukun C. Kalu, a professor of pediatrics at Duke University, said a “bundle of interventions” seems to work in slowing the spread of the virus.

“I hesitate to pick on one thing and say this is the most effective thing, perhaps except vaccination,” Kalu said.

Kalu said, while kids might be less efficient in spreading the virus than adults, they can spread not only COVID-19 but many other viruses.

What risks does COVID-19 pose for children?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there had been 4.3 million confirmed infections among children in the U.S. However, given that many kids are likely to have few or no symptoms, the actual number is likely much higher.

And the rate of infections is growing, likely because of reduced masking and social distancing with the rollout of vaccines, coupled with the surge in the delta variant, whose characteristics make for more efficient transmission. In the week ended Aug. 5, there were close to 94,000 COVID-19 cases in children, compared with the highest peak at 211,486 recorded in the first week of January. But the worrying trend is that the percentage of total COVID-19 cases represented by children is growing: 14.3% in the week ended Aug. 5, compared with less than 2% for most of 2020.

The Academy of Pediatrics noted that children make up roughly 1% of hospitalizations, depending on the state, and 0.26% of all COVID-19 deaths.

“If we’re bringing kids back to schools indoors, and we are seeing case rates rise in the community, it’s probably important to keep the mask on, wash their hands and vaccinate those that are eligible,” Kalu said.