Governor Kate Brown announced Monday, February 7, that she will be lifting the indoor mask mandate March 12. The mandate lift will apply directly to Oregon schools on March 12 as well. Brown’s announcement comes following unrest among parents upset that their children still have to wear masks in school.
“Between now and spring break we will be speaking with our local health experts to examine the best course of action and get feedback on a proposal. We must formulate a plan that carefully considers all COVID protocols in our system, our most vulnerable students and staff, and how we transition to this next phase in the pandemic.” Said the school board’s Communications Project Manager and Operations Supervisor Aaron Harada in regards to the approaching mask mandate lift.
Zachary Brown-Silverstein, a History teacher at South, believes that we should all keep in mind that even if some people don’t wear masks, others may be facing different circumstances.
“I think it will be good for most students. … We should all try and be really mindful that different people are gonna have totally different perspectives on it, but ultimately we all have good intentions on it even if we disagree on things.” Brown-Silverstein said.
