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North Union Local Schools defies statewide health orders by lifting mask policy


North Union Local Schools board votes to defy Ohio health orders by prematurely lifting its mask mandate. (North Union Local Schools)
North Union Local Schools board votes to defy Ohio health orders by prematurely lifting its mask mandate. (North Union Local Schools)
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North Union Local Schools is the latest Central Ohio district to make masks a voluntary choice, a decision that defies Ohio’s revised statewide mask order.

School board members unanimously voted to change the district’s mask policy earlier this week after a number of parents voiced support.

Board President Brian Davis said he continues to encourage vaccinations and for people to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, but it wasn’t fair for the district to serve as the “mask police.”

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Davis referenced data showing COVID-19 cases declining in Union County and in the Richwood community. North Union has no current COVID-19 cases, but seven student are in quarantine following close exposure, Superintendent Rich Baird told the board before the vote.

The district has experienced 60 cases the entire school year, Baird said. North Union has 1,700 students and staff. Prior to the vote, Baird also shared a message from Gov. Mike DeWine that was sent to schools across Ohio following the state amending its mask enforcement for vaccinated Ohioans.

“In order to maintain consistency and model safe behavior for Ohio’s students, these changes do not affect the existing order requiring the use of facial coverings and other health protocols in our schools. With limited numbers of students vaccinated, it is important that we continue these safety measures through the end of the current school year,” DeWine’s statement said.

North Union’s last day of class is June 3. Ohio’s mask mandate is set to expire the day before. Union County Health Commissioner Dr. Jason Orcena said he was “disappointed” in the district’s decision. He said he was consulting with the Ohio Department of Health and county prosecutor about any potential enforcement actions.

Last week, the superintendent of Benjamin Logan Local Schools in Bellefontaine announced he was lifting his district’s mask requirement.

Superintendent John Sheu said numbers for Covid-19 “have been hovering around zero for the past month,” and 75% of teachers have been fully vaccinated.

“Of the last 8 days of the school year for students, several of those days will be spent with having students outside for activities such as Field Day,” Scheu said. “Some other schools in the area have lifted their face mask mandate for students riding school busses, prior to Benjamin Logan Schools lifting the face mask mandate. With all these factors being considered, I wanted to give students a sense of what normalcy will hopefully look like when school starts in the fall of 2021.”

The last day of school for Benjamin Logan students is May 26.

“Let me emphasize the importance that we all need to be respectful of anyone that chooses to wear a mask or not,” Scheu said.

ABC 6/FOX 28 will continue to follow the latest on the coronavirus pandemic.

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