Bend La-Pine Schools this week informed parents that they plan to follow state and federal guidelines and will not drop their mask mandate for students or staff until Oregon lifts its mandate on March 31st. Until that time school educators will continue to recommend the use of face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19. School officials say they do not wish to violate current state laws regarding mask wearing because of the consequences. Those consequences include revoked licenses for educators, fines and a loss of funding.
This week, the Redmond School Board approved a resolution to end their mask requirement early.
On March 31st, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) will lift the mandatory masking rule for schools placing authority regarding required indoor masking in the hands of local school boards.
