On Feb. 28, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the indoor mask requirement for schools will end on March 11, 2022. On the day of that announcement, the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) decided to continue their mask mandate for all students and unvaccinated staff at indoor settings due to the “high rate of community COVID-19 transmission in the South Bay.” Part of the message stated on their website, was to reevaluate the mask mandate two weeks after this initial decision. 

SUHSD states, “the safety of our school communities must be the guiding factor for any decisions affecting our students and staff and [they] continue to encourage testing, masking, and vaccinations.”

On March 11, SUHSD announced in a letter to SUHSD families the adjustment of their mask mandate. They now strongly recommend wearing a facemask while indoors, based on the current reductions in case rates from the Omicron variant. The new guideline is set to go into effect on Monday, April 4, 2022. 

Furthermore, the letter noted that staff who are unvaccinated will have to continue to wear masks indoors and test weekly. SUHSD continues to ask people to adhere to other safety protocols such as social distancing, vaccination and testing weekly as well.

In a SUHSD Board of Trustees Meeting on March 14, little information was given regarding the decision to remove the mask mandate across the district. The only mention of the mask mandate during the board meeting was an update given by SUHSD Superintendent Moises Aguirre. He reminded meeting attendees of the message regarding the updated mask guideline that was sent out on Friday, and repeated the information already known to the public. In addition, SUHSD mentions they will be distributing antigen test kits to all students and staff before leaving for break—asking them to take the tests before their arrival back to school on April 4. 

“As we head into spring break, I also want to remind everybody to be safe. We will be providing all of our staff and our students with the antigen tests and we will be asking that they use those prior to returning, before we return from the spring break and if you test positive you stay home,” Aguirre said.

Principal Roman Del Rosario, Ed.D. noted that the SUHSD is in the process of transitioning from a pandemic to an endemic. Furthermore, Del Rosario explained that schools have the authority to go beyond the district expectations. However, Rosario pointed out the issues with making a decision that is not aligned with the district due to face masks being such a polarizing issue. 

“It’s very valid if a parent says ‘how is it that you can have a rule for Bonita and next door, Bonita Middle has a different rule.’ Imagine if we all had different standards and expectations,” Del Rosario said. “The fair question is why are you even in the same district if you’re making up your own rules. In some areas, I feel comfortable exercising that autonomy but in this area, I’m pretty certain that all schools are going to be on the same page with the same expectations.”

Similar to the statements from SUHSD, Del Rosario emphasizes the importance of considering students and staff safety. Del Rosario empathizes with people who may be experiencing mask fatigue but prioritizes the safety of others.  

“Safety is definitely one of my big concerns. Although the number one priority is the safety of the students, I also worry about the safety of the staff,” Del Rosario said. “I think it’s a good idea that we proceed cautiously, but that we listen to the science and that we really weigh it out. All different factors, not just the medical, but the emotional factor behind it. That’s our obligation.” 

Although mentioned by Del Rosario that wearing a mask could keep the community safe, BVH senior Xavier Millan believes that as COVID- 19 cases are declining, so wearing a mask could be viewed to be less important as vaccination rates are on the rise. However, Millan plans to continue wearing a mask unless COVID- 19 cases are low. 

“People I know don’t wear their masks properly. I don’t think that [the mandate] would make a major difference. I’ll probably wear my mask the majority of the time except for [when] I want to eat, “ BVH senior Xavier Millan said. “The opportunity to [have a] choice [whether to wear a mask or not] would be [a] nice change for students.