Richland schools to reopen after vote to delay voluntary mask rule until state mandate lifts

Richland schools will reopen Friday, after the school board voted to delay a voluntary masking rule passed earlier this week.

The Richland School District had an emergency closure Wednesday due to a school board vote that took place the day before, and the schools remained closed Thursday.

The special meeting of the Richland School Board on Tuesday saw board members vote 3-2 to make the wearing of masks in district schools optional. That was to be effective immediately.

However, it was unclear how the district would implement the board’s decision because current state law still requires that schools and administrators enforce the mask requirement. As of Wednesday, the state superintendent’s office said it had already started the process of withholding funding for the Richland School District.

School board member Rick Jansons was one of the dissenting votes on Tuesday, and he said it was obvious that this decision is illegal.

“We would be willfully and knowingly violating the law, which violates your oaths of office, and [makes] each one of you personally liable for any of the claims made by staff or students in the district,” he said.

Richland schools closed Wednesday to “plan a path forward,” and called for an emergency school board meeting at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. At that Wednesday meeting, there was no action taken.

Washington superintendent calls for end to state’s school mask mandate

On Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that the state’s indoor mask mandate for schools and most businesses would end on March 21. That led to the Richland school board to decide, in a 4-1 vote, to delay the implementation of its voluntary mask rule until that date.