Editorial: Mask mandates left up to individual school districts

At the July 12 meeting of the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education, School Supt. Pete Kudlak said the CDC recommends that vaccinated students and staff not have to wear masks. He said the Michigan Dept. of Health recommends the same and has no mandates.
Supt. Kudlak said the decision on whether to mandate masks in the schools this fall is up to the districts. He said the situation has been knocked around with other superintendents in the state and they wish they would just be told what to do. Instead, they have to make their own decisions and it’s a hot topic with parents.
He said the new survey he will send to parents will ask: if masks are mandated for K-12, what is your preference for your student – in-person or remote? He said later on in August people will have to choose an option.
Treasurer Simone Pinter said COVID is still here and parents should send their students to school in a mask. “There has to be a set plan that we go with,” she said, adding if everyone wore masks last year the district wouldn’t have been shut down for spikes and then opened up again.
Kudlak said this year things have changed since masks are optional and if they have to shut down for COVID they will use up snow days and then have to make up the other days missed.
The district will have to decide soon what it is going to do about masks.