Tucson Opinion: Anti-mask school law isn't justice, safety for our kids

The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

The Governing Board of Tucson Unified, the largest school district in Southern Arizona, unanimously voted last week to require face coverings while inside its buildings. This decision is in defiance of HB-2898, a state ban on mask mandates signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey.

TUSD bravely sided with public health, and chose the health and wellbeing of its students over politics. The governor’s office took swift action, threatening “We expect school districts to follow the law and the law is clear the legislative intent is clear.”

Yes, the law is clear, but it is far from just, nor is it reflective of our current public-health crisis. This law was introduced in April, when COVID-19 case counts statewide were lower and the delta variant not a blip on our radar. It does not reflect current reality in Arizona.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Arizona Department of Health and Safety, and the Pima County Health Department have all updated their guidelines to include “universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.” The Pima County Health Department has us at “substantial transmission,” and on their July 29 Public Health Advisory update, they have reported “56 cases since July 20, including eight outbreaks” at schools.

As the majority of schools start in-person classes in August, we can only expect these numbers to increase, as the contagious Delta variant takes hold as the dominant strain in Arizona.While TUSD serves as an example of moral fortitude, clear and quick messaging, and efficient mobilization by administrators, my district, Catalina Foothills Unified, exhibits none of these virtues.

If you log in to the website, Catalina Foothills proudly boasts our “Top District” ranking, yet dealing with our superintendent and board of governors has been a catastrophic failure as they shirk public-health guidelines, hold secret emergency meetings and fail to engage concerned parents.

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Catalina Foothills is also one of the few districts not offering an online learning option. With 100% of district students attending in-person, physical distancing will unlikely be feasible, further supporting the need for indoor masking.

We need to ensure every measure is taken to protect students, teachers and staff. This is especially urgent at the elementary level where children are not yet eligible for vaccination. Decisions that affect the most vulnerable, unvaccinated children in our community cannot be made in a vacuum and without community input.

For Catalina Foothills to hide behind the notion of abiding by the law is a farce, and frankly, completely offensive to me. As a minority, and as a descendant of the Chinese Exclusion Act, (a federal law) I am far too aware that laws don’t always protect the people, nor are they in our best interest. It’s not too long ago that laws mandated segregated schools; following the law does not always mean you’re upholding justice.

We cannot hold tightly onto doctrine as this virus mutates. We have to adapt and apply all the scientific knowledge available to make objective, informed decisions to protect public health.

We can take an example from Arkansas. As COVID cases break records in that state, Governor Asa Hutchinson has expressed regrets approving a ban on mask mandates, and has publicly expressed that he wants the law reversed.

We need our leaders to use critical thinking, apply the science and to be bold, and advocate on behalf of the students in their care. Our children consistently produce A+ results for our district. Now it’s time for our administrators to reciprocate and commit to public health.