Valley officials eye possibilities as DeWine mandates K-12 masks
YOUNGSTOWN — As Ohio surpassed 90,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, Gov. Mike DeWine announced all K-12 students will be required to wear masks upon returning to in-class instruction this fall.
While some will surely claim the change is impractical — or even authoritarian — local officials, like superintendent David Janofa, are just grateful for some guidance from DeWine, who has shied from issuing direction to Ohio school districts on going back to school.
"At least it's one more direction, one more step or one more piece of information that all of us can include in our decision-making in regards to what we ultimately want to do," Janofa said.
DeWine said the following groups of children are exempt:
• Children under the age of 2
• Child unable to remove masks without assistance
• Children with significant behavioral or psychological issues exacerbated by wearing a mask
• Children living with severe autism or severe developmental delays
• Children with facial deformities that cause airway obstruction
Prior to Tuesday's announcement, students were to be required to wear masks starting in third-grade. For some parents of young children, the guidelines pushed them toward the district's online option. Masks, they have said, put a barrier in the communication process, especially for youngsters.
DeWine remains hopeful there's still time for the actions of Ohioans to have an impact on the state's back to school policy. He pointed to two important factors: the level of community spread and the environment inside schools.
"We cannot know what the next three weeks will bring, let alone the next three months," said DeWine.
As a result, Valley school districts have adopted a variety of plans.
The administration has about as many answers when it comes to youth sports.
Currently, contact sports practices are allowed to take place, but the administration has not yet made a call on the fall season for high school sports.
The risk posed by youth sports hit home this week when a Poland student-athlete was exposed to the coronavirus. As a result, school activities were suspended indefinitely.
Despite an uncertain future, DeWine said Tuesday he's not planning to order the state to start school online. But a fully online start remains a last-minute option for many districts, including Poland.
"Certainly as things keep changing and parents keep changing their mind potentially, [starting online] absolutely is on the table," Janofa said.
During Tuesday's briefing, DeWine also announced that former Health Director — and Youngstown native — Dr. Amy Acton resigned from her position as health adviser. She will return to the Columbus Foundation, where she worked prior to joining the DeWine administration.
After weeks of targeted harassment — including Anti-Semitic harassment — Acton stepped down from her role as health director on June 11. The position of director has not yet been permanently filled.
Other coronavirus news:
• According to the latest figures Tuesday from the Ohio Department of Health, the state is reporting 90,041 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. There have been 2,437 confirmed cases in Mahoning County; 1,451 in Trumbull County; and 1,583 in Columbiana County.
• Statewide, there have been 3,301 confirmed deaths, including 253 in Mahoning County; 105 in Trumbull; and 62 in Columbiana. Mahoning County's 253 reported COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday was fourth among Ohio's 88 counties; Franklin County had the most with 515.
• In nearby counties: Stark, 1,713 cases and 137 deaths; Portage, 724 cases and 60 deaths; and Ashtabula, 544 cases and 45 deaths.
• Two Ohio state representatives have filed legislation to stop evictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Eviction Crisis Response Act would allocate $270 million from Ohio's rainy-day fund to create a program to help renters.
• According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Tuesday, there are 115,009 COVID-19 cases in the state which have led to 7,232 deaths. The state said the recovery rate is 75 percent. There have been 364 cases in Mercer County and 9 deaths; 353 cases in Lawrence County and 12 deaths.
• Pennsylvania educators say they want to go back to school later this month, but doing so safely requires more investment in resources. "$100 million from CARES was a good start," said Arthur Steinberg, president of the American Federation of Teachers who urged U.S. senators to pass the HEROES Act that would give $3.2 billion in education funding to Pennsylvania.
• A Republican congressman from Ohio has introduced legislation that would require political organizations that received a Paycheck Protection Program loan to refund the money. He was prompted by reports that Democratic parties in Ohio and Florida secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funding.
• U.S. News & World Report has named Mercy Health-St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital and Mercy Health-St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital as high-performing hospitals. The hospitals received their marks for their chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure programs.
• Peaberry's Cafe was busy Tuesday with customers supporting the business after it closed early Monday because of a mask conflict. Owner Chris Pendleton was grateful for the outpouring: "They understand this is a tough time ... They have come out and shown us a lot of love and support, and we appreciate it."
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 3:52 AM with the headline "Valley officials eye possibilities as DeWine mandates K-12 masks."