MASK CHOICE RESOLUTION proposed to Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) on Dec 6, Dec 14 2021 AND Jan 10 2022
Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) Board Resolution on CDPH “Reaffirming California’s Approach to COVID-19 Prevention and Containment in Schools by Continuing Masking Requirements”
WHEREAS, the California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”) announced that as of October 20, 2021, masks would continue to be required for all individuals in indoor K-12 school settings through the winter months even though CDC Guidance only “recommends” universal indoor masking by all students, staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools; and
WHEREAS, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) states that children under 5 years old should not be required to wear masks, and requiring masks for children ages 6-11 should be made based on several factors, including the impact of wearing a mask on a child’s psychosocial development1,2; and
WHEREAS, the CDPH announced that it would continue the mandate of masks not for scientific reasons, rather because “Now is not the time to let our guard down- especially as the winter months approach… because many children are not vaccinated” even though vaccines were FDA approved for children ages 5 and older on October 29, 20213 and are now widely available; and
WHEREAS, decisions made as to measures needed to ensure the safety and overall well being of children attending Public Schools have proven to be best made at the local level by School District and Board Of Education Leadership; and
WHEREAS, Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) Superintendent and members of the Irvine Unified School District Board Of Education have repeatedly stated, based on available data, there has been no evidence of widespread transmission of COVID-19 throughout IUSD schools.
WHEREAS, IUSD has demonstrated its ability to effectively manage COVID-19 risk amongst its population through various mitigation strategies in place during the 2020/2021 academic year and less stringent mitigation strategies in place for the 2021/2022 academic year; and
WHEREAS Students attending school in person spend a portion of their day outdoors for recess or other learning activities during which time masks are optional- not required. Students are able to remove their masks at these times and there has been no increase in COVID transmission as a result; and
WHEREAS, recent studies have shown that mask wearing can impact a child’s language development4, emotional development5, interpersonal communication6, and overall physiological and psychological health7,8; and
WHEREAS IUSD is highly acclaimed for its commitment to mental health and wellness and launched its campaign “Speak Up, We Care” in 2018 district-wide in support of its commitment to mental health; Students and parents are speaking up expressing their desire for mask choice; and,
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that this Board establishes the following goals:
Maintain, as the highest priority, giving students the opportunity to attend school in person five days a week
Maintain mental health and wellness of the IUSD population as a high priority
Allow student/parent/teacher choice for masking in indoor settings
Ensure that students who choose not to mask in indoor settings are still able to remain in their same classroom and be a part of in person learning five days a week
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Board commits to acting at all times in the best interests of students, including educating students and families on the overwhelming benefits of in-person education, the low risk of COVID-19 to children, the evidence that students are at less risk of infection from COVID-19 in school than out of school, and the evidence that in-person education does not contribute to the spread of COVID-19; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Board remains committed to assisting schools in returning to normalcy in the classroom, including the removal of any and all prevention strategies which are not based in science, have harms that outweigh the benefits, or which impede in any way a student’s ability to fully participate in classroom instruction; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Board will transmit official copies of this resolution to the Leadership at all schools within Irvine Unified School District, and any entities the Board deems appropriate for this resolution.
Adopted this ______ day of _______________________ in 2022.
Motion Made By:
Second Made By:
Members voting “aye”:
Members voting “No”
Members Abstaining:
Members Not Present:
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