Western Heights Public Schools announced on Monday it is implementing a mask requirement in its buildings and on its buses, beginning Tuesday, Aug. 24.
The policy is similar to one implemented at Oklahoma City Public Schools and allows students to opt out. It also allows employees to go through human resources to get an exemption.
"One of the biggest priorities as an educator and a district leader is the health and safety of the students and staff," interim superintendent Montie Guthrie said in a written statement. "As a new variant of COVID-19 grows, especially among the youngest in our community, it is time for us to do as much as we possibly can to protect those who learn and work within our district."
Guthrie, a longtime employee of the Oklahoma's State Department of Education, was named interim superintendent of the district after its previous superintendent was suspended.
The beleaguered Southwest Oklahoma City school district is currently under state control. State officials accuse Western Heights leaders of financial reporting violations, creating safety problems and a culture of bullying that led to the loss of more than 100 employees and even more students over the course of two years.
At least 23 private schools, tribal schools and public school districts mandate masks in Oklahoma, despite Senate 658, which says school boards can't require masks. Private and tribal schools are not subject to that state law.
More than a dozen schools in Oklahoma have already closed or pivoted to distance learning this fall due to COVID-19 outbreaks.
