Oklahoma’s law preventing schools from mandating masks is temporarily on hold due to a judge’s ruling Wednesday morning.
That means school districts can move forward with a mask requirement on school campuses potentially later this week or early next week, as long as the mandate gives parents the ability to opt out. Some districts, like Oklahoma City Public Schools and Santa Fe South charter school, already require masks with an opt-out provision where parents can fill out a form to request an exemption for their child to attend school without a mask for a personal, religious or medical reason.
“Today is a victory for families, the safeguarding of schoolchildren and their opportunity to learn in-person,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “The court’s striking of the mask mandate prohibition on (Senate Bill) 658 now enables schools to fulfill their duty to protect and ensure equal protection for all students, including those with disabilities and most vulnerable in our schools.”
Schools across the state have been reporting a higher level of COVID-19 spread than last year, requiring quarantines and, in some schools, a pivot to distance learning. Last week, Edmond Public Schools reported more than 380 students with COVID-19 and 3,000 in quarantine.
The law, signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in May, says a public school board or technology school district can only implement a mask mandate if they are under a state of emergency declared by the governor and they consult with local health officials, list the purpose of the mandate and the specific masks that meet the requirement, and reconsider the mandate at every regular board meeting.
The judge’s decision came in a civil lawsuit filed against the state and Stitt on Aug. 12 by several parents and the Oklahoma State Medical Association.
Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.