POWAY, Calif. (KGTV) – Some families are reaching a boiling point over the school mask mandate at Poway Unified School District.
From heated school board meetings in Santee to anti-mask rallies in Poway, young children and their parents are becoming more vocal over California's indoor school mask mandate that has no expiration date.
PUSD superintendent Marian Kim Phelps wrote a two-page letter to Governor Gavin Newsom and the county's health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten last week asking for an immediate time frame as to when the mandate would be lifted.
California is one of 13 states in the country that have yet to lift the mask mandate in schools.
The letter reads in part, "Our students and staff mental health is suffering; staff is exhausted. Parents are divided. Trust has eroded. We are currently in a state of emergency in our own school districts. We have students protesting at alarming, growing numbers. We have staffing shortages, with teachers and staff being subjected to constant stress and verbal abuse."
Parents on both sides have strong opinions on the issue. Gov. Newsom promised an answer on Feb. 28.
"We feel very confident on the 28th; not only will we announce a date, but the date will be well within the period of time where people feel confident and safe," Newsom said.
