School Superintendents across Mississippi are being forced to make some tough decisions because students are returning in the midst of a spike in COVID cases. Oxford School District Superintendent Bradley Roberson took a lot of heat from parents when he put a mask mandate into place for students and staff in all indoor settings through August 20th.
He joined The Gallo Show on SuperTalk Mississippi this morning to discuss the issue. “The guidance from the Department of Health just says if kids are in masks it eliminates the need for quarantine. If we can eliminate the need for quarantine, then we can keep kids in school. The goal is to avoid full virtual learning at all cost,” Roberson explained.
Oak Grove High and Purvis High in Lamar County were forced to go back to virtual learning just days into their new school year due to outbreaks. They’ll be virtual through at least August 16th.
Superintendents across the state have stress that the mandates are intended to be temporary. But some parents–who think the choice should be left up to them–have questioned whether schools have the authority to unilaterally put these kinds of restrictions in place.
Mandy Gunasekara told SuperTalk more about a group of parents calling themselves “Mississippians for Mask Choice” yesterday. They’d like Governor Tate Reeves to ban school mask mandates.
Group of Mississippi parents want governor to ban school mask mandates
