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Clintondale superintendent’s mask mandate reversed by school board vote

School board says district will work to ensure ‘the safest environment possible’ without masks

Paula Tutman, Reporter

Published: August 26, 2021 at 4:48 PM

Tags: Students, Education, School, Michigan, Michigan Schools, Mask Mandate, Mask Policy, Coronavirus, Michigan COVID, Return To School, COVID-19, Coronavirus Pandemic, Face Mask, Quarantine, Michigan News, Clinton Township, Macomb County, Clintondale School District, Clintondale

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The debate over mask mandates in Michigan schools continues to be a hot button item as we get closer to the 2021-22 school year.

The Clintondale Community Schools district changed its guidelines multiple times over summer and recently overruled the district’s superintendent’s decision.

Related: School mask, vaccine mandates supported in US: AP-NORC poll

In July, the district had made little effort to mitigate COVID, but in August, the district saw an about-face. The superintendent had gotten his first vaccine, erected plexiglass barriers in the office to protect staff and put a mask mandate in his district.

At a school board meeting on Monday, the Clintondale Community School board voted 5-2 to reverse that reversal. Masks will no longer be mandated inside schools in the district.

The school board released the following statement Thursday:

Last Monday, the Board of Education for the Clintondale Community School District voted 5-2 to strongly recommend masks for its students and staff. Those members who were in favor of the decision noted that they believed parents, guardians, and staff should retain the right to determine what is best for them and their families’ health at this time.
The Board’s decision to recommend masks for our students and staff was based solely on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s return-to-school guidelines, which is not a health mandate. Due to the circulating and highly-contagious Delta variant, the CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.
As a Board we are committed to excellence in all that we do. Being student centered means that decision making seeks to put students first. But we also encourage our partner families to examine their individual circumstances to determine what is in their best interest based on the students’ interactions with others. Clintondale Community Schools is also offering a K-5 Virtual Academy, which is a great option for families that believe it would be best for their children to learn remotely.
During these challenging times, the district will continue to work to ensure that it creates the safest environment possible through ongoing sanitization and good hygiene practices.
As the situation surrounding COVID-19 changes, our administrators, faculty, and staff continue to work with local leaders in determining the best course of action for our students, staff, and families. And should the Macomb County Health Department issue a mask mandate, the Clintondale Community School District will immediately comply with their order.
Clintondale Community Schools board

More: Tracking Michigan school districts, colleges requiring masks for 2021-2022 school year

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