State superintendent applauds districts that label masks as an expectation after state makes mandate

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister supports school districts that frame mask wearing as an expectation after the state took away their local control to decide whether mandates are appropriate.

Hofmeister said Tuesday that she isn’t aware of any Oklahoma schools that intend to buck Senate Bill 658 and unlawfully require masking as some districts in Texas, Florida and Arizona are doing in defying similar bans.

Districts must abide by the law, Hofmeister said, but she noted that policy changes could be made if Gov. Kevin Stitt relents and declares a state of emergency to give school boards the option of legally requiring masks in consultation with their local health departments.

She expressed concern that if pandemic trends don’t reverse, the delta variant might “seriously endanger the safety of our children” and compromise another year of schooling.

Read more: https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/state-superintendent-applauds-districts-that-label-masks-as-an-expectation-after-state-makes-mandates-illegal/article_ce9a56b8-f93c-11eb-89f5-83cc9b1459c8.html