Inside Roseville school board’s politically driven defiance of California’s mask mandate
Before last week’s Roseville Joint Union High School District board meeting even began, staff members had to be ushered into a separate room for their safety, and dozens of community members were forced to wait outside. One audience member was heard yelling and cursing, while another shouted across the room to ridicule an elementary-school-age child for wearing a mask.
The school mask debate has divided Roseville for two years. Thursday’s meeting marked a disturbing victory for the selfish, loud and dangerous side.
More students than usual attended, anticipating a discussion of a resolution to make masks optional. The proposal was at odds with state guidelines that mandate masks in classrooms, guidance that was extended Monday for at least the next two weeks.
More than 20 students from across the district spoke, all but three in support of the resolution. Many had already obtained personal mask exemptions and said they were bullied and harassed for not wearing masks.
“I’ve turned off listening to the oppressive messaging about masks altogether,” said Granite Bay High School student Logan Crabtree. “No one’s feelings about masks deserve to outvalue someone else’s. We’ve gone off the rails about masks and forgot what makes a community.”
But Granite Bay student Charlie van der Veen wondered why the board was making decisions about student safety without listening to students who feel unsafe.
Referring to a staunchly anti-mask board member, Heidi Hall, van der Veen said, “Ms. Hall is concerned about mask-induced anxiety, but I’m far more anxious about the man who Nazi-saluted me the last time I came to a meeting here. Nothing was done about his behavior.”
Oakmont student Sophia Leddy spoke to evidence that shows masks are effective.
“When it comes to communicable diseases, we should listen to the experts,” Leddy said. “I urge you to make the decisions about masks in our schools based on science.
“When I wear a mask, it protects all of you. I understand that’s a courtesy you’re not willing to extend to me right now.”
Mask choice
As of Tuesday, according to the district’s resolution, students across the Roseville Joint Union High School District are no longer required to wear masks. The school board unanimously passed the resolution making masks optional, a win for self-described pro-mask-choice parents and students.
“The board believes that the Governor’s K-12 mask mandate is ill-advised and in opposition to the educational and social-emotional goals of the State and the District,” the resolution reads.
The district’s new mask “choice” policy now contradicts state guidance, which still mandates masks in the classroom. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration was widely expected to modify classroom masking requirements this week but ultimately didn’t.
Asked about Roseville’s new policy at a press conference on Tuesday, Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s health secretary, said school districts should not go against state requirements. His department noted in a statement to The Bee that masking and other precautions have helped keep more California children in school.
The district’s resolution came as no surprise given the political leanings of the school board. It was drafted by Hall, an unapologetic COVID conspiracy theorist who has compared public health measures to restrictions imposed on Jews during the Holocaust.
“I’m not comfortable waiting for the updated guidance from the state,” Hall said. “Unless it’s mask choice with no strings attached, I don’t support it.”
The board members, none of whom wore masks, weren’t shy about praising those who share their opposition to masks and perpetuate unfounded theories about COVID and vaccines. They were also eager to attack Newsom.
“Our governor is a hypocrite, and he has abused his authority,” said board member Pete Constant. “Our unwise voters have not checked the governor when they should have.”
Roseville residents reasonably expect school officials to heed their concerns and abide by state health policies, but the school board is no longer even pretending to listen to anyone who wants the added layer of protection masks provide. Making a political point at the expense of the board’s constituents isn’t bold or courageous; it’s the epitome of selfishness.