State now puts onus on districts to enforce mask ruling

By Doug Spoon, Editor

School districts are obligated to follow state guidelines regarding enforcement of the state mask requirement for students on campus, even as those guidelines continue to change, two Menifee school administrators said.

Statements made to Menifee 24/7 by Menifee Union School District superintendent Jennifer Root and Santa Rosa Academy public information officer Andrea Pasolini were received just as the California Department of Public Health was updating its Monday announcement that students not wearing masks would be barred from campus. Both officials said time is needed to receive further clarification and establish protocol.

On Monday night, the CDPH released the following statement on its Twitter page:

“UPDATE: California’s school guidance will be clarified regarding masking enforcement, recognizing local schools’ experience in keeping students and educators safe while ensuring schools fully reopen for in-person instruction.”

Language requiring school districts to bar unmasked students from campus was removed from the CDPH’s Monday announcement. This puts the onus on school districts to determine methods of enforcing the mask requirement, which remains in place.

“As a District, Menifee Union School District continues to keep student safety a top priority,” Root said in an email to Menifee 24/7. “We are appreciative that we are beginning to receive guidance regarding returning to school but are still waiting for our local Riverside County Public Health organization to provide us further interpretation of the information that was released yesterday.

“Once we have gathered all of the necessary information, we will provide timely information to our families. We are however pleased that the guidance supports fully returning our children to school.”

The mask issue is not on the agenda for today’s MUSD board meeting and will not be discussed by board members, Root said. In a follow-up email to Menifee 24/7, Root said, “There are already changes, which is why we want to ensure that we gather all appropriate information before acting.”

Pasolini released the following statement on behalf of Santa Rosa Academy:

“By way of background, all public schools were required to adopt a COVID-19 Safety Prevention Plan. These plans are required to, at minimum, incorporate the CDPH and CalOSHA requirements. Failing to adhere to our safety plan can lead to serious consequences for SRA, including a loss of funding, fines, school closure, and even the revocation of our school charter.

“The CDPH makes clear in its guidance the following legal requirements: ‘This guidance is a public health directive that applies to all public and private schools operating in California. Under operative executive orders and provisions of the California Health and Safety Code, schools must comply with orders and guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health and relevant local health departments to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health.’

“The CDPH can therefore enforce its guidance and can force school closure for violations or by reporting violations of the COVID-19 Safety Plan to CalOSHA or our authorizer.”

Administrators at Romoland School District and Perris Union High School District could not be reached for comment.