Following a memorandum from President Joe Biden on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona sent a letter admonishing Oklahoma for its efforts to limit universal masking in schools.
Cardona was clear in his message to Oklahoma, blocking mask mandates in schools is harmful and puts children at risk.
"This State level action against science-based strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19 appears to restrict the development of local health and safety policies and is at odds with the school district planning process embodied in the U.S. Department of Education's... interim final requirements," Cardona stated in the letter.
The action also puts school districts’ access to federal American Rescue Plan money at risk. Schools are required to enact safety plans to receive those federal COVID-19 relief funds, and taking away masking weakens their safe learning plans.
In a blog post also posted on Wednesday, Cardona also pointed to the department's authority to investigate policies or actions that infringe on the civil rights of students being able to access public education equally.
Finally, he expressed support for school districts that have gone forward with universal masking requirements like Oklahoma City Public Schools and Santa Fe South Public Charter School, despite the state law banning them.
"The Department stands with these dedicated educators who are working to safely reopen schools and maintain safe in-person instruction," Cardona said.
Cardona reportedly sent similar letters to Arizona, Iowa, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah this week, and to Florida and Texas last week.
