Whitmer school mask policy ‘quite troubling’
A Democratic leader of the Michigan Board of Education says the fact Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state health department have the power to issue a statewide school mask mandate to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and are choosing not to do so is “quite troubling.”
The comments from board Vice President Pamela Pugh, a Saginaw Democrat with a doctorate in public health from the University of Michigan, are the latest pushback from an education or health care leader against the Whitmer administration.
They come as the Department of Health and Human Services acknowledges the proportion of kids getting sick with COVID-19 is increasing and case rates are worse in areas where students are not required to wear masks. State data also shows the number of new COVID-19 cases tied to school outbreaks more than doubled in the last week.
“In Republican-led states, mitigation measures intended to keep our children healthy and in the classroom, such as mask mandates, have been banned,” Pugh said in a statement to the Free Press.
“In Michigan, (statewide mandates) have been revoked and unfortunately under the leadership of a Democratic governor who has caved to the pressure of a Republican-led legislature and the vitriol and violence which they’ve (fueled).”
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Pugh blasted the Whitmer administration’s stance in a letter sent Thursday to health department Director Elizabeth Hertel. The letter was in response to correspondence Hertel sent to Pugh on Tuesday. The Free Press obtained copies of both letters.
The state has repeatedly declined to issue any statewide mask mandate. Recently, President Joe Biden called on governors to enact a vaccine mandate for teachers in every state. Whitmer has yet to say whether she’ll follow the president’s plea.
Hertel told Pugh the department continues to recommend that local school districts and county health departments institute school mask mandates. She argues orders from local authorities will generate more buy-in from community members. Hertel does not state why she believes local orders would elicit more compliance than a statewide regulation.
“MDHHS has strongly recommended that districts require masks for kids in schools because it will allow them to continue learning in person safely. The CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. I agree with our top health experts,” Hertel wrote.
However, Pugh notes Hertel has the power to do what those experts want — require masks in every Michigan school — and she’s refusing to do so.
“Please know that I understand that these are difficult decisions to make in the political climate that we live in,” Pugh wrote in her letter to Hertel.
“However, I am truly having a hard time settling with the thought that our children, teachers and parents must experience illness instead of public health stepping up to do what we are called to do…exercise the art of prevention to protect the health of people and (the) community.”
A health department spokeswoman reiterated several of Hertel’s points in a statement Thursday afternoon. A Whitmer spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Earlier this week, the state health department indicated the number of COVID-19 cases involving children are on the rise.
The department presentation noted that 43% of all districts have a mask mandate, representing roughly 60% of all Michigan students. But that means hundreds of thousands of students are attending schools that do not have mandates.
The difference is obvious, according to the health department presentation.
“Case rates among children are higher in counties where school districts do not have mask policies,” the department said.
There were 344 new COVID-19 cases tied to outbreaks at schools last week and 544 connected to ongoing school outbreaks. That’s up substantially from the 180 new cases and 227 existing cases tied to school outbreaks the state recorded the previous week.
Overall, the state says COVID-19 trends remain on the rise. However, youth hospitalizations because of COVID-19 are still very low, and experts hope the latest data indicates case increases are slowing.
Contact Dave Boucher at [email protected] or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.
