Parents attend board meeting to protest mask requirement

A parent speaks out against the mask requirement while supports hold up signs of protest. (Menifee 24/7 photos)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Dozens of parents and their children demonstrated outside the Menifee Union School District office Tuesday and spoke out during the MUSD board meeting against the requirement of masks for students.

On the eve of the first day of school, concerned parents held signs in protest of the requirement and pleaded with district officials to join them in pushing back against state guidelines, which officials say they have no control over.

“CDC is not the law. You may feel like your hands are tied, but that’s not true. We need you to stand up for our kids,” said one of about 15 residents who spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting, as supporters lined the back of the room with signs saying things like “Let Them Breathe”.

Public comments were made after superintendent Jennifer Root opened the meeting with a report on the requirement for students to wear masks when indoors at school because of state COVID-19 guidelines. Root said the policy “comes from the California Department of Public Health. This is not MUSD. The guidance is something we can’t not enforce.”

Root said a group of superintendents met with Dr. Edwin Gomez, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, to ask for clarity on what has been a controversial and at times confusing issue. Gomez referred them to Dr. Geoff Leung, County health director, who said that districts had no choice but to require the wearing of masks.

“To clarify, the California Department of Public Health reiterated … that masks are required for all individuals indoors in K-12 school settings in the state of California. One of the reasons for this is because children 11 years of age and younger are currently not eligible to receive the COVID vaccination,” Leung said in a prepared statement.

Root went on to say that legal counsel consulted on the matter stated that “districts that fail to enforce this mandate subject themselves to liability from potential lawsuits from parents who believe their child’s safety is at risk.”

That stance on the issue did not satisfy parents, who urged the district to stand up to the state and fight against the mandate. Some suggested they would keep their children home rather than send them with masks.

“There is a way around this mandate,” said another parent. “There are schools boards across the state you can work with. Our kids are being used to further the government agenda of fear and control. We will not comply.”

“I believe you know that forcing students to wear masks is wrong,” said Simon Cooper. “You’re more concerned with going with the flow than standing up for the children of your community. It’s not your role to represent the state of California and report to us, but it absolutely is your role to represent us before the state.”

In her opening statement, Root reported that MUSD board members would be asked later in the meeting to approve a resolution to be sent to state health officials and lawmakers, asking the state to “work diligently to provide consistent, timely and science-based guidance that will expedite the return to normally for schools.”

Root said the resolution was being approved by districts across the region and was being sent to state officials. The MUSD board approved that resolution unanimously.

“We feel the same as many of you that some changes need to be made,” board member Bob O’Donnell said to the audience. “We personally feel your pain. But we have to do it the right way.”

Root did not specify how the mask requirement would be enforced, other than to say that “the district must provide alternate forms of education for those who are excluded.”

In addition, Root said that any parent seeking an exemption for medical reasons must have it approved by a doctor, and that the child would still be required to wear a plastic shield with draping.

 Parents and their children demonstrate against the mask requirement outside the MUSD office on Tuesday.