School Board Directs District to Create Optional Mask Plan

Contact: Superintendent Ginger Redlinger or Board Chair Glenn Holum

February 18, 2022

AURORA, ORE. — The North Marion School Board passed a resolution during an emergency meeting Friday to instruct School District administration and staff to develop a plan for an optional mask policy for students and staff starting no later than March 31, 2022. 

“We know this is a complex decision, but we stand with our community,” School Board Chair Glenn Holum says.

Superintendent Ginger Redlinger agrees, saying that the community should know that School District leaders listened to parents and students who supported making masks optional, a change that the state will permit in schools on March 31. By mid-March, the School District administration intends to create a preliminary plan to put the optional mask policy into place in each school building. 

“Student safety is always our top priority, and our North Star is keeping students learning and thriving in school,” Redlinger says. “We can now focus our attention on the transition plan and providing students and staff with the safest environment possible, so they can pursue their goals and dreams.”

The resolution states that it has been issued not only because of the change to state guidance but also because cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant have been decreasing throughout the month of February.

The resolution also says that the School District will continue to support guidelines from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Oregon Department of Education (ODE), and our local public health authority. In fact, the School Board reserves the right to modify this resolution if state or federal agencies issue new guidance. 

The resolution goes on to note that the School Board supports the choice to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for all eligible students, as recommended by the OHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The resolution concludes with this statement: “The district is committed to supporting continuous development, improvements, and innovation to deliver the best educational outcomes for our students.”

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