Written by Brock Johnson
Nevada Union High School, located among the Sierra Nevadas in Northern California, was closed Thursday as most of the teachers did not show up for classes. This comes in the wake of the Nevada Joint Union High School district voting 3-2 Tuesday to pass a resolution allowing mask-choice on the campuses within the district.
The vote occurred after a meeting in which parents, teachers, and union representatives all passionately voiced their opinions on the matter at hand. The teacher union representatives stated that they were disappointed and felt blindsided by the decision.
The district superintendent Brett McFadden said during the meeting that attempts to enforce the mask mandates were falling apart. He explained that the district’s “enforcement ability of the mask mandate came to a point where it was untenable, and we were concerned about maintaining a … safe, effective and instructional environment.”
The meeting quickly turned into a heated debate with some arguing their opposition to the mask-choice resolution whereas others argued that California is falling behind other states that have granted schools the choice to wear a mask.
According to CBS Sacramento, the school was so short-staffed on Wednesday that hundreds of students had to join together in the auditorium to watch a movie instead of attending their usual class. As of Thursday afternoon, it is unclear whether the school will be open on Friday for the students to resume their studies.
California state assemblyman Kevin Kiley tweeted “Nevada Union High School is closed today because of a strike over the district allowing mask choice. Corrupt unions have seized every opportunity to abandon kids”.
While it seems that the state government is standing its ground on mask mandates in school classrooms, students and parents from every corner of the state are fed up and want the freedom of mask choice.
Photo Cred: Elias Funez/ The Union
