Parents and students at various schools throughout the Los Alamitos Unified School District protested against the state’s indoor K-12 face mask mandate last week.
The protests, which first started on Feb. 15 and continued through the week, consisted mainly of students showing up to campuses refusing to wear face coverings in class. Some parents submitted mask exemption forms to their school site.
LAUSD officials estimated that between 150-200 students (of the approximately 9,000 enrolled students) across the district’s nine campuses participated.
According to the district, students who declined to wear a mask without a valid medical exemption were placed in an alternative setting under the supervision of school staff rather than being in classrooms with students who wore face coverings.
Parents said the students were placed outdoors, where masks are optional.
“The district and staff have communicated with families that while we continue to respect the views of all families in our school community, we are required to follow school guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), including indoor masking requirements when students are present,” said LAUSD spokesperson Nichole Pichardo in a written statement.
On Feb. 16, California lifted its indoor mask mandate for vaccinated individuals in some public spaces, but that does not apply to K-12 schools. An update on rules for schools is expected by Feb. 28.
There were signs the protest was coming. Similar actions by students in other parts of California had been featured in the media and publicized by the San Diego-based group “Let Them Breathe.”
Earlier this month, an Instagram account entitled “Los Al Parents United” started posting, asking families in the district to allow students to go “mask less” on Feb. 15. The Instagram posts directed parents to meet at various campus locations before drop-off with their mask exemption forms.
More than 50 people gathered at Hopkinson Elementary in Rossmoor on Feb. 15, according to parent Gina Anderson who has a fifth grader who took part that day and did not wear a mask to school. She said campus officials were accommodating.
“We were met with a positive reception from our principal [and Deputy Superintendent] Ondrea Reed,” Anderson said in a phone interview last week.
Anderson said it made her feel more comfortable that the administration wasn’t fighting parents on this issue. “It was good to see that we weren’t getting pushback,” she said.
For Anderson, seeing an online petition signed by hundreds of people in opposition to the school masking rules in Los Al USD made her see she wasn’t alone in her feelings.
But the tipping point was seeing unmasked elected officials and celebrities at recent National Football League games at SoFi stadium in Inglewood while the mask mandate was still in place.
“It’s hard not to be angry on either side,” Anderson said, suggesting that mask mandate supporters should also be upset that many of the elected officials making mask rules didn’t abide by them.
At least two LAUSD board trustees, Board President Diana Hill and board member Marlys Davidson, have both openly expressed concern about the long-term masking of students indoors.
Based on ENE reporting, in addition to Hopkinson, students refused to wear masks at Oak and McAuliffe middle schools, Los Alamitos High School, as well as McGaugh Elementary school.
On Thursday, a group of roughly 25 parents met at McGaugh Elementary to support or participate, sending their kids to school without masks.
Two Seal Beach Police officers, who are on campus on a regular basis, were on hand.
Though the protests were peaceful, they did have an impact
Pichardo said in her statement the mask mandate protests had impacted campuses.
“There has certainly been a disruption to staffing,” she said. “The district has had to pull auxiliary staff members [such as intervention teachers and instructional aides] from their current assignments to cover students who needed an alternative location for learning. This means that a small number of our intervention programs are currently not running right now,” the district spokesperson said.
Moreover, she said the protest “has also created additional work for classroom teachers who are now lesson planning for two groups of students.”
Students are getting a break this week as school is out until Feb. 28. While it is uncertain what changes to COVID policy California will announce next week, Pichardo said the district currently provides options for students.
“Another option for families that do not wish to have their child wear a mask or have health concerns regarding COVID-19, may elect to enroll their child in independent study provided by the district through a partnership with the Orange County Department of Education,” said Pichardo in the statement.
“Participation in independent study is voluntary and provides an alternative education program for students who may have health concerns or may not want to wear masks. Unfortunately, these are the only two options outlined by the state at this time,” she noted.
“Our goal as a district is to respect the views of all families and to remain inclusive of all students regardless of their masking choices,” said Pichardo.
“We’ve [LAUSD] worked hard with our staff to make sure accommodations have been made for all students so there is minimal disruption to learning,” the statement concluded.
According to a new post on Instagram, the Los Al Parent United group is calling for a “Sit Out” on Feb. 28, the day LAUSD is scheduled to resume. The ENE has reached out to the group seeking additional information.
Editor’s note: Jeannette Andruss, of Spotlight Schools, contributed reporting. For more local education news, sign up for the weekly email newsletter at SpotlightSchools.com.
