Oregon suburbs see wave of anti-mask rallies at schools

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Shortly after Oregon health officials announced a forthcoming end to indoor mask mandates Monday, Feb. 7, school mask protests have disrupted a handful of campuses and led to heightened security measures.

At Sherwood High School Tuesday, Feb. 8, students, guided by parents, attempted to rush into the campus as it opened for the day, without masks. School staff attempted to block entrances, offering masks, but dozens of students pushed through, gathering in a foyer at the school. When they were unable to enter further, they left, looking for other entrances.

That same day, Scappoose High School saw students try to enter without masks, as a roadside rally of parents applauded. The same scenario played out in Salem and in Gresham Thursday at Sam Barlow High School, where a large crowd gathered outside the school to protest.

The demonstrations were planned across the state for Tuesday, Feb. 8, the day Oregon’s temporary indoor mask rule was set to expire. The state filed a replacement rule the day beforehand, but said masks would no longer be required indoors on or before March 31, as COVID-19 cases were projected to decline heavily.

In Scappoose, Principal Jerimy Kelley was positioned at the school entrance just before 9 a.m. Tuesday. As students approached, he advised them that they would be sent home if they didn’t wear a mask.

While several students complied, a group of approximately 20 entered the school anyway and headed toward their classrooms, past the principal’s office.

Kelley emphasized that mask wearing is a statewide mandate.

“If you are in our buildings right now, you have to wear a mask,” he said. “As a district, we would support that mandate like we’re asked to do.”

Sharrie Ryan helped organize the event.

“We are here to support the students that have chosen not to wear their masks today,” Ryan said, over the sound of supporters honking their car horns.

Scappoose High sophomore Alyssa Plantz wanted to go to class maskless.

“I feel students need to take back some power because we just kind of get thrown in the dark,” Plantz said. “They expect us to listen to everything and not fight back for our freedom.”

Plantz added, “I think it’s just going to be a good way to show them that we’re not going to sit around and let them control us.”

An office administrator with Sam Barlow High School in Gresham said a group of students showed up to school Tuesday unmasked, but weren’t allowed in after refusing to put on masks. They were turned away and told to call their parents to pick them up. The following day, similar events played out in Silverton and Ridgefield, Washington.

Anti-mask protesters also showed up to Oregon City High School on Tuesday, but they were outnumbered and overshadowed by a student-led rally for a completely different issue. Students there walked out of school in protest of the school’s showing of a video during a recent assembly depicting a student admitting to abusing an ex-girlfriend.

In late January, near Bend organized a 10-day protest outside Redmond High School, targeting students with free food coupons and encouraging them to remove their masks.

Masks and vaccines have been relied on as some of the most effective tools at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

To date, Oregon has recorded over 665,000 coronavirus infections and 6,265 deaths from COVID-19. Nationwide, health officials have recorded more than 909,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Ben Edtl and Angela Todd run an anti-mask group called Free Oregon that has been heavily promoting rallies against the state’s health and safety mandates, including the recent school demonstrations. While filming at Sherwood High School Tuesday, Edtl repeatedly called school staff “child abusers,” then gave a teary-eyed affirmation of support for students.

Earlier this year, Edtl against a Tualatin Best Buy when the store refused him entry for not wearing a mask.

Todd said Free Oregon isn’t organizing the rallies, but helping to bring attention to them.

Asked whether adults, not students, were orchestrating the demonstrations and calls for defiance, Todd said adults are acting on behalf of students.

“Aren’t adults supposed to protect and advocate for children? Our children are being harmed and it is cruel to allow this to continue. Many kids have fallen significantly behind at school, the isolation is cruel, their mental health and cognitive development have declined,” Todd said via email.

The school protests haven’t led schools to announce any changes to their masking policies, but they did cause at least one school to implement extra security measures on campus.

School officials in Sherwood “not safe” and announced a revision to school policies around student demonstrations.

“This morning, what happened at the high school was not peaceful, was not safe for students or staff, and disrupted the operations of the school,” said Sherwood Superintendent Heather Cordie in a letter to the community.

She continued, “As a result, going forward we have to take a different approach which continues to allow students their right to protest, but creates a safer environment for all present.”

The district said that starting Wednesday, Feb. 9, parents can utilize designated pick up and drop off lanes, but they won’t be permitted on school property unless they have an appointment.

“Additionally, we will continue to have an increased staff presence at the entryways of our secondary schools in the event that a second day of protests occur,” Cordie wrote.

The Sherwood Police Department noted later that some of the main instigators were not Sherwood students or parents.

“During our investigation, we have learned that at least two adult males, three adult females and one juvenile that were instigators, have no direct connection to Sherwood or the school district,” Ty Hanlon, Sherwood Police Chief, said in an announcement Thursday.

The wave of demonstrations and student defiance at schools comes as Oregon residents await news of how each school district will respond to a planned end to the statewide mask mandate. The Oregon Department of Education said Monday that the statewide mandate will remain in effect in schools until March 31, regardless of whether the Oregon Health Authority lifts the mandate before then. By that time, school districts and charter schools will decide what rules to keep in place at their campuses.

“The (Centers) for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), OHA and ODE continue to strongly advise the use of face coverings in schools in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the impact of quarantine through the school year,” the state education agency announced Monday.

Despite the outspoken protesters, many students say they’ll continue to wear a mask to school, regardless of how the rules change.

“Do I like wearing masks? No, but at the same time I want us to be safe for as long as we can because I don’t want a repeat of early 2020!” Korae Williams, a junior at David Douglas High School in Portland said.

At some districts, teachers unions may have an outsized role in determining what happens, as mask wearing was a stipulation in contracts for the entire academic year.

In Portland, district leaders said no decision has been made yet.

“We are aware of OHA’s announcement, but have not made any decisions yet on what this will mean for Portland Public Schools. We expect to review the OHA rule, seek guidance from our public health experts, and look forward to collaborating with Multnomah’s Health Department to determine what is best for our local community,” Jonathan Garcia, chief of staff for Portland Public Schools, said Tuesday.

The Portland Association of Teachers noted its COVID-19 safety agreement with PPS stipulates students are required to wear masks. “Our (letter of agreement) remains in full effect unless we jointly agree otherwise. If any state agency orders a change that impacts our agreement, we would meet with the District to discuss the impact,” PAT President Elizabeth Thiel said in an announcement.

This story has been updated with additional comment since it was first published.