ALSEA, Ore. (AP). An Oregon school superintendent has told parents that they can get their children to stop wearing masks by citing federal disabilities law. A California pastor is offering religious exemptions to anyone who is morally disturbed about vaccine requirements.
For those who want to circumvent the governor's mask rules, Louisiana's attorney General has provided sample letters via his Facebook page.
In the United States, religious leaders, doctors, and public officials are working together to circumvent COVID-19.
These workarounds may be supported by parents who claim they are protecting their children's health, rights and property. However, some others feel that such strategies are unreliable and reckless and could hamper efforts to combat the highly contagious delta virus.
Although state requirements for masks and vaccines vary, many states allow exemptions for certain medical conditions as well as religious or philosophical objections.
Oregon's Superintendent Marc Thielman from the Alsea School district told parents that they could bypass the governor's school-mask requirement and apply for accommodation for their children in accordance with federal disability law.
Thielman stated that he came up with the idea after parents reacted strongly to the governor's mandate.
Thielman said that the majority of my parents are skeptical about COVID-19 and no longer believe what they are being told." Classes begin Monday in Thielman's district, which is located in the state's coastal mountains. "Ive heard a majority of my family members asking, Are there other options?
Democratic Gov. Kate Brown stated that she was shocked by Thielman's attempts to undermine her policies and instruct students to lie about their disability.
Brown has ordered the use of masks in schools, and all staff to be vaccinated against an epidemic of infections plaguing Oregon. The state is breaking its COVID-19 hospitalization record day after day and the number of cases among children has increased significantly.
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Thielman plans to run for governor in the year after Brown is out of office due to term limits. He said that while he isn't anti-mask, he is sensitive to parents' concerns about face coverings causing anxiety and headaches in their children.
He said that he thinks these problems are valid in some cases and should be exempted under Section 504 from the Rehabilitation Act 1973, because they interfere with learning.
Laurie VanderPloeg is an associate executive director of the Council for Exceptional Children. She cautions that children cannot go without a mask just because they ask.
She said that the law would require school districts to undergo a formal process to determine if a child has a specific mental or physical disability.
Kansas' Spring Hill school board has granted parents the right to claim a mental or medical exemption from the county's requirement that elementary school students cover up. They don't need to be signed off by a physician.
Ali Seeling, a board member, stated that the idea was to allow parents to make their own health decisions about their children's health.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is a Republican who frequently spars with the Democratic Governor. John Bel Edwards posted samples of letters that would allow parents and students to request a philosophical or religious exemption to Edwards' school vaccination rule or from any vaccine requirement.
These letters were shared by GOP legislators and many others.
Louisiana is not subject to a dictatorship. Landry posted on Facebook that the question is "Who gets to decide the healthcare decisions for you and your children?"
Edwards accused the attorney General of creating confusion, and defended his policy regarding face coverings.
The governor stated that by adopting these measures, and not ignoring those who are unwilling to admit the crisis, we can keep our children safe and in school this year.
California's state medical board is looking into a doctor accused of giving out hundreds of exemptions to children for wearing masks. This is in an effort to avoid the statewide school-mask requirement.
Roseville-based Dr. Michael Huang declined to answer questions from The Associated Press, but said that he does an examination of each child and gives exemptions accordingly. California Medical Association condemned rogue doctors who sell bogus exemptions.
Pastor Greg Fairrington, Rocklins Destiny Christian Church, has granted at least 3,000 religious exemptions for people who have objections to the vaccination. This exemption is being issued in a suburb. The vaccine is now mandatory in increasing numbers of California locations.
In a statement, he stated that his church had received thousands of calls from teachers, doctors, and nurses who were afraid of losing their jobs, because they didn't want to get vaccinated. His office refused to share the exemption letter.
He said that we are not anti-vaccine. We believe in freedom of conscience as well as freedom of religion. Many people of faith find the vaccine morally dangerous.
Experts in health such as Dr. Peter Chinhong, an infectious disease specialist at University of California San Francisco, warn that such tactics will cause confusion over vaccinations and masks.
He said that the virus "looks for fractures in your system" and that there are many.
Jenny Jonak, a resident of Oregon, has an 11-year old daughter with autism and other health issues that make her more vulnerable to COVID-19. Jenny said wearing masks is a minor inconvenience in order to protect vulnerable students.
She said that if a child has a legitimate reason to wear a mask, and if they have a breathing problem or other respiratory issue, it should be respected. If not, I don't know what we are teaching our children if they think wearing a mask is something they should do.
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Har reported from San Francisco, and Cline was from Portland, Oregon. This report was contributed by John Hanna, Topeka, Kansas and Melinda Deslatte, both Associated Press writers.
