Ledes from the Land of Enchantment

Santa Fe South Was The First Oklahoma School District To Mandate Masks This Fall. Here’s How It’s Going

It’s past Santa Fe South High School in Oklahoma City. Each student’s face is covered with a mask.

“This really isn’t a problem for most people,” said Senior Alan Garcia. “I mean, there will always be people who say I hate this. Why do we have to do this? But for the most part, people are following the guidelines and wearing their mask. So honestly no problem. “

A StateImpact database shows that a growing number of schools in Oklahoma are starting to require masks in their hallways, with opt-out provisions. At least two dozen traditional public school districts, eight charters, and 25 private schools have introduced mask mandates.

But it’s a complicated decision.

Senate Bill 658 – a bill that seemed to have little consequence at the time – was signed by Governor Kevin Stitt in the spring as the number of COVID-19 cases declined. It came into force on July 1st.

The law does a lot of things, but the most controversial piece is that it bans mask mandates unless a state of emergency declared by the governor is in place. Stitt has refused to declare one in the recent surge.

And schools had to get creative to ensure more masking – a difficult task in a state where vaccination rates are lagging behind. The law is a nuisance to schools, said Chris Brewster, superintendent of Santa Fe South.

“I don’t think this law was badly thought out in my heart, but I think it was badly thought out,” Brewster said. “And now that we have thought about the implementation for some time, to enable real local control, to exercise local control, I find that it is finding its way to where it needs to be in our state.”

Robby Korth / StateImpact Oklahoma

Chris Brewster, Superintendent of the Santa Fe South Charter Schools. Brewster became the first superintendent to mandate masks in his district’s schools that fall, despite a state law prohibiting mask mandates without a state of emergency declared by the governor.

The first school to prescribe masks

On the first day of school, masks were optional in the Southside charter district. Santa Fe South leaders estimated a third of the students were wearing them, and on the second day that number fell even further.

Garcia said he didn’t put on a mask.

“For example, I would only wear it if I had to, but not otherwise,” said Garcia. “But I feel better now wearing it, honestly.”

He admitted he is now wearing it because of the mandate – a mandate that caused a stir when Brewster announced it in early August.

At that time schools believed they were paralyzed by the law. But in Texas, where schools were similarly restricted by an ordinance from that state’s governor, some districts were beginning to introduce masked mandates anyway.

On August 11th, Brewster made the decision to prescribe masks.

“I think there are rare times when we have to consider civil disobedience, and maybe this is one of those cases,” he told StateImpact at the time.

The next day, he sent a letter to parents and students saying that they could unsubscribe by filling out a form. But very few students have done that. Only 114 out of 3,691 students have opted out. That’s about 3%. And Brewster said some of those who chose not to wear masks too.

“On the first day we made the choice, 100% of our kids walked through the door with a mask or were willing to put one on with no argument,” Brewster said.

When StateImpact attended Santa Fe South High School, every student who walked the halls between classes had a mask that at least partially covered their face.

The opt-out provision was endorsed by Governor Kevin Stitt, who praised the Santa Fe South and Oklahoma City public schools for their masking policies – not because they make children safer – but because they include the opt-out provision.

“I appreciate that school districts like the Santa Fe Charter Schools and Oklahoma City Public Schools respect parents’ right to decide what is best for their children’s health and waive the mask requirement if they so choose “He said in a statement.

santafesouth4.jpeg

Robby Korth / StateImpact Oklahoma

Students frolic in the Santa Fe South High School tape room.

The effects of a mask mandate

Mask requirements are high in charter and traditional public school districts in the Oklahoma City area. Opt-out rates are low in large, diverse districts.

Masks are certainly a common sight in Santa Fe South.

Dean of Studies Jace Kirk said students with masks under their noses or even on their chins are not uncommon. But it can be repaired.

“I just point to my mask and they just pull it up without complaining,” Kirk said. “Sometimes I just need a reminder.”

In fact, most of the complaints about keyboard commentator masking came outside of high school.

“I’ve never heard from a single parent that I don’t want this, that’s stupid,” said Kirk. “Not one. I mean, quite the opposite. ‘Thank you for doing what you can to keep our children in school.'”

And it has had a positive impact on the school. Since the mandate with opt-out provisions came into force, quarantines have decreased.

And Santa Fe South is hardly alone in its success.

The move has improved masking compliance, said Steven Stefanick, superintendent of Harding Independence Charter Schools.

“The norm was not to wear it because it wasn’t mandatory,” said Stefanick. “By making this a requirement that students can unsubscribe from, you are reversing the normal.”

Opt-out rates are higher in wealthier, white suburban areas. Yukon Public Schools dropped more than 10% of students. Edmond Public Schools had a similarly larger number, with thousands of students making up about 11% of the student body.

“I really thought it could be higher,” Edmond Superintendent Angela Grunewald said in an interview. “But you know, people realize that the masks make a difference and they’re ready to wear them.”

A vocal minority in Edmond has spoken out against masking in schools, despite CDC guidelines suggesting universal masking in classrooms this fall.

“The children do not pay attention to who is wearing a mask and who is not,” says Grunewald. “They work in their centers. You work at your desk. And it’s normal school. Only some students with a mask and some not. “

And the proof lies in the results, said Grunewald. Since the implementation of the mask mandate with opt-out provisions, the quarantines have decreased despite the number of opt-outs.

santafesouth3.jpeg

Robby Korth / StateImpact Oklahoma

Allison Bonilla, a senior citizen of Santa Fe South, stands in front of a trophy case at her high school. Bonilla said she was vaccinated against COVID-19, but before a masking requirement went into effect, she was one of the few students at SFS who actually wore a mask in school.

The fate of the masking obligation

Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor is actively trying to end the restraining order many schools rely on for enforcing masking requirements.

An expedited hearing in the Oklahoma Supreme Court should come on the injunction that allows school districts to enforce masking obligations. And the Oklahoma Department of Education has announced that it will not enforce Senate Law 658 for the foreseeable future while it works its way through the courts.

At the same time, the Biden government is investigating Oklahoma’s Mask Mandates Act as a potential violation of civil rights.

The federal government fears that the masking ban in Oklahoma could be discriminatory for students with disabilities.

In a four-page letter to Oklahoma officials, federal investigators notified the state. They said the government’s ban on mask requirements made the school extremely dangerous. And this step could prevent students with disabilities from attending school in person safely.

Four other states – Iowa, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah – are undergoing similar studies.

“It is simply unacceptable that heads of state put politics above the health and education of the students for whom they have sworn an oath,” said US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a written statement. “The department will fight to protect every student’s right to safe access to personal learning and to protect the rights of local educators to issue guidelines that will enable all students to return to the classroom safely this fall.”

But in real classrooms in Oklahoma, all of that outside noise doesn’t matter. Masks will be the norm in Santa Fe South as they help the school achieve its goal of engaging children in personal learning.

“We don’t want us to send everyone home and try to go to school virtually,” said Kirk. “We know that our children are better off when they are here, and we can take better care of them when we are here personally.”

Comments are closed.