Orcutt parents rally to protest mask wearing in schools

ORCUTT, Calif. -- Parents and other community members held a rally outside the Orcutt Union School District offices Tuesday morning to protest against continued mask wearing in schools.

"We're out here to support the kids getting their masks taken off," said parent Jenevieve Strommen. "Everyone else gets to take them off, why not our kids?"

Protesters included adults and children, who braved the rain and cold temperatures during the 90-minute rally.

Most in attendance held signs denouncing mask wearing or waved American flags, and cheered any time a car honked as it drove by.

"I think it's awesome that people are beginning to come out and say no more," said parent Kristen Pruett. "I think it's a great group that we've got here today, and it's really encouraging to see our small little community have such a good turnout."

Protesters pointed out that while the State of California recently lifted the mask mandate last week in most indoor settings, mask wearing remains in place for schools.

"It's crazy," said Pruett. "It doesn't make any sense why we can go and do all these other things, but we have to mask our kids, and it's just not right."

Parents said they have grown increasingly frustrated seeing maskless crowds in large gatherings, while kids must continue to wear them in much smaller settings.

"I just think it's been long enough," said parent Mark Crisp. "The straw that broke the camel's back was watching all of our politicians at the Super Bowl, at the NFC Championship Game, nobody's wearing a mask, then they lift the mask mandate for everybody in the entire state except the least vulnerable, which is our children."

Orcutt Union School District Superintendent Holly Edds said after the rally that the district is merely obeying current state health guidance and does not have the ability to make its own policy regarding face coverings.

"The current K-12 schools guidance that was put into place by the California Department of Public Health and also the Cal/OSHA guidance requires for masks to be worn in a school setting for students and for staff," said Edds. "It's our desire to keep our campuses open and we're doing everything that we possibly can to make that happen, so following the current health order is how we do that, and we'll continue to follow the current guidance as it continues to change"

Last week, just before the indoor mask mandate was lifted, the California Department of Public Health said it would wait two weeks before a decision is made for schools.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to provide an update on school guidance on Monday, Feb. 28.

"We're not sure what that will be," said Edds. "We don't know if that will be a date, when the guidance is going to change, or if there will some type of system response to it, meaning like what we've had before with the tiers. We just don't know yet. We're not hearing a lot of information, but we do know they're working on it at the state level and they've asked for input from stakeholders."

Those in attendance during Tuesday's rally are holding out hope Newsom will announce the school mask order will end immediately.

"I hope he rescinds the mask mandate for kids," said Crisp. "It's suppose to be all about the science and if it's all about the science, then why are we masking the kids, but not everybody else? It makes no sense to me personally and I hope they do rescind the mask mandate."

Strommen was especially critical of Newsom and his actions during the almost two-year-old pandemic.

"He's a double-standard hypocrite," said Strommen. "He does not apply any of the things that he's applying to everyone else to himself or his family, and he's proven that the entire two years. Everything that he says, he goes back on it."

When asked what her message to the school district is, she pleaded with leaders to support parents that are against the mask mandate.

"Fight for us," said Strommen. "You have a lot of power. Fight for us. Make a stance. Say how important it is for your community. If you care, fight for us. If they really cared, they would say, hey, our district is going to stand up against this. This is wrong."