On Thursday, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Attorney General John O'Connor blasted Hulbert Public Schools, a small school district in Northeast Oklahoma for implementing a mask mandate.
Hulbert's school board voted Wednesday to implement a mask mandate to control an explosion of COVID-19 cases and quarantines that had caused the middle and high school to go to distance learning.
Seven people had tested positive, and more than 140 middle and high schoolers were in quarantine in the 500-student district.
"Parents, health officials, education officials and state leaders all agree that in-person learning is the best model for students. The tools and resources exist to make this happen, and we cannot allow our district to be hindered in its mission to provide in-person learning," Hulbert Public Schools Superintendent Jolyn Choate said in a statement.
But Stitt and O'Connor say the vote to mandate masking violates state law.Senate Bill 658 prohibits school districts from implementing a mask mandate without a governor-declared state of emergency.
O'Connor says he'll challenge Hulbert’s actions in court.
It’s unclear why Hulbert's masking requirement violates state law. Masking rules instituted by Oklahoma City Public Schools and Santa Fe South Charter School recently had been praised by the governor for providing parental choice.
Hulbert officials said they would work with families or students who required a masking exception.
Another state official, State Rep. Monroe Nichols (D-Tulsa), ripped Stitt over spending time squabbling with schools rather than pleading with Oklahomans to get vaccinated.
"It’s time for the Governor to grow up and start leading this state through this pandemic or get out of the way," Monroe said in a statement.
Stitt has been criticized for his silence as the state has experienced another wave of COVID infections. He hasn't addressed the public regarding the coronavirus since March.
Oklahoma is in the bottom 11 states in vaccine rollout, as only 41.8 percent of the state residents are fully vaccinated against the virus.
