MIAMISBURG, Ohio (WDTN) – Starting today, students, staff and volunteers at all Miamisburg City School buildings are required to wear masks while indoors.
Since school started for Miamisburg students in late August, the district says hundreds of students have been forced to quarantine because of COVID-19 exposures. School officials say this is what influenced the decision to issue the mask mandate.
Meanwhile, Ohio governor Mike DeWine says he’s not issuing more mandates for schools or otherwise. He wants to leave that decision to the local jurisdictions.
However, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley says that decision was a mistake.
“I support miamisb¤wa4 5028 putting the mask mandate on as i do all school districts. I think what’s unfortunate about this is if Governor DeWine would have taken the action that he has the ability to do- to declare a mask mandate- every school district in the state would have started on a good first step,” she said.
Public Health Dayton Montgomery County says they’re excited to see this school district take the step of implementing a mask mandate. They’re hoping that other school districts will follow suit to protect more people in the community. Right now they’re continuing to spread their message and working with school leaders to get more mask policies in place.
“We’ve been in regular contact with the Montgomery County Educational Service Center and Superintendents in terms of what we’re recommending,” explained Dan Suffoletto, Public Information Specialist with Public Health Dayton Montgomery County. “Our policies are based around what’s safest for the workers, for the staff, for the students and everyone involved.”
During a virtual round-table discussion with Ohio moms who support mask mandates in schools, Mayor Whaley said it’s important to put mask mandates and policies in place to protect the group that doesn’t have the choice to get vaccinated on their own.
“We know that this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” she said. “We know most of the people who are unvaccinated are 12 and under because they don’t have ability to get a vaccine and [also that] high school students are at a lower vaccination rate.”
She says she supports masks and also supports the governor making the decision for state-wide mask mandates including in schools.
“It has been amazing to watch the data of masked schools versus unmasked schools. It shows, clearly and fully, that masks work and it helps keep our community, our kids, and our families safe and it keeps kids in schools,” said Whaley.
