OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Monday was the first day of school for thousands of students in Metro Detroit and many were required to wear masks.
Wayne County and Oakland County both require masks in schools but Macomb County does not. That has created a problem at Hamilton-Parsons Elementary School.
The school is part of the Romeo School District in Macomb County but the building is in Oakland County. Local 4 spoke to a parent who said the children were not required to wear masks. He said he gave his children the option to wear masks or not at school and they chose not to.
Read: Tracking COVID outbreaks in Michigan schools, colleges
The mask issue prompted the school superintendent Todd Robinson to put out a letter to parents on Saturday (Aug. 28).
The letter reads, in part:
“Through communication between the leadership from each county we have been informed that the Oakland County Health Department recognizes that Hamilton-Parsons Elementary is part of Romeo Community Schools and under the jurisdiction of the Macomb County Health Department on public health matters. ... There is no desire on behalf of the district or public health officials to create any division in this relationship based on a single facility’s geographic location. ... Hamilton-Parsons Elementary will remain in alignment with our district’s plans for this year..”
That is not how Oakland County sees the situation. According to Deputy County Executive Rudy Hobbs, who oversees county health. The Oakland County Health order covering masks covers all educational settings within Oakland County’s physical borders.
Local 4 has been in contact with the Oakland County Executive’s office. They said the health officer will be looking to enforce the county school mask order in every school within the Oakland County border.
Read: Tracking Michigan school districts, colleges requiring masks for 2021-2022 school year