Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Rocky Road Back To School: Vaccine Gag Rule, Mask Wars
AP: Arizona School Board Imposes Gag Rule For Vaccines, Masks
Employees in a northwestern Arizona school district cannot discuss vaccination status or mask-wearing with students under a motion approved unanimously by the local school board. The edict from the Colorado River Union High School District Governing Board carries no repercussions for administrators, staff or teachers who violate it. That would be up to Superintendent Monte Silk, who supported the motion. (8/20)
Oklahoman: Oklahoma Gov. Stitt Condemns Hulbert School District Mask Mandate
Gov. Kevin Stitt and Attorney General John O'Connor reprimanded a small eastern Oklahoma school district for its strict masking policy on Thursday — a day after the federal government admonished the state for discouraging mask mandates in schools. Stitt and O'Connor said Hulbert Public Schools violated state law Wednesday night when its school board voted in favor of a masking requirement for all students and staff. (Martinez-Keel, 8/19)
AP: GOP Governors, School Districts Battle Over Mask Mandates
Millions of students in Florida, Texas and Arizona are now required to wear masks in class as school boards in mostly Democratic areas have defied their Republican governors and made face coverings mandatory. The three states are all hot spots in the nation’s recent COVID-19 surge, and defiant boards in Miami, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and other urban areas argue that requiring masks protects students, teachers and staff from contracting and spreading the virus as many pediatric hospitals fill. (Spencer, 8/20)
In news on the impact of rules and policies during the pandemic —
Axios: Parents Forced To Navigate Patchwork Of Back-To-School Mask Policies
Conflicting policies, fiery political debates and the continued spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 are sowing chaos and uncertainty into the back-to-school season. This will be the third school year in a row with COVID-related disruptions. Many students have already suffered severe learning loss, and the gap between students could grow even wider, thanks to disparities in vaccinations and rising case counts. (8/20)
KHN: School Or ‘Russian Roulette’? Amid Delta Variant And Lax Mask Rules, Some Parents See No Difference
The child had just started kindergarten. Or, as her mother called it, “Russian roulette.” That’s because her school district in Grand Junction, Colorado, experienced one of the nation’s first delta-variant outbreaks last spring, and now school officials have loosened the rules meant to protect against covid-19. The mother, Venessa, who asked not to be named in full for fear of repercussions for her family, is part of a group of parents, grandparents, medical professionals and community members who assembled in the past few weeks to push back. The group calls itself “S.O.S.,” which stands for “Supporters for Open and Safe Schools,” while nodding to the international signal for urgent help. It’s made up of Republicans and Democrats, Christians and atheists, and its main request: Require masks. (Bichell, 8/20)
AP: Education Secretary: New Mexico Needed More Outdoor Classes
New Mexico’s top education official during the pandemic headed into his final days in Santa Fe saying outdoor classrooms could have allowed more in-person instruction when schools were closed last year and may be key to addressing parents’ masking concerns. Education Secretary Ryan Stewart leaves on Friday, two years into his term, citing the need to be near family as his father faces serious illness. (Attanasio, 8/20)
AP: Mississippi Gov: Try To Keep Schools Open Amid Rise In COVID
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday that his goal is to keep as many schools open as possible, even as COVID-19 cases continue to rise sharply in the state, because he does not want children to lose academic advancement. Reeves, a Republican, said local school districts have the power to offer vaccinations to children 12 and older, with parents’ permission. He said school districts also can set mask mandates or require students to maintain distance from one another to mitigate the spread of the airborne virus. (Wagster Pettus, 8/19)
Also —
The Washington Post: Carrie Underwood’s Account Clicked Like On An Anti-Mask Tweet. The Outraged Reaction Shows What Happens When Country Stars Are Silent On Politics
Carrie Underwood, one of country music’s most popular superstars, generally does not generate controversy. That changed this week with the click of a button. On Tuesday, a screenshot started making its way around Twitter that showed Underwood’s account “liked” a Twitter video posted by conservative commentator Matt Walsh. The video showed Walsh speaking at a recent contentious school board meeting over a mask mandate for Metro Nashville Public Schools, likening mask requirements for kids to child abuse and saying that more children have died of the flu than covid-19. He argued that the mask mandate was politically motivated and students’ masks are a “symbolic security blanket.” (Yahr, 8/19)
