Following guidance from the Ottawa County Health Department, masks are strongly recommended, but not required, for all JPS students, staff, and visitors when inside any of our school buildings. The Ottawa County Health Department has indicated it will issue a public health order tomorrow forcing elementary students to wear masks in school. It is one of four health. Here are some more examples of how the Grand Haven School Board and GHAPS personnel are treating students and parents . From masks to book banning, conservatives take on educators. OTTAWA HILLS, Ohio (WTVG) - The Ottawa Hills school board has voted 5-0 to adopt a universal mask mandate for students in the district. Both are referring to the state health department and CDC . On Thursday, August 19, 2021, Marcia Mansaray, the Deputy Health Officer of Ottawa County, — Just a month after affirming the district's mask mandate, the West Ottawa school board voted to lift a K-12 masking requirement during a meeting Monday, Jan. 17. in Ottawa County have sent a letter to the county's Administrative Health Official preemptively discouraging mask mandates for schools. County health departments have been tracking the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases from the highly contagious delta variant. The goal, health officials say, is to slow the spread of Covid, keep pupils in classrooms and protect those who're unvaccinated. St. Clair County issued a new mask mandate . All students, staff, and visitors must wear a mask prior to entering the buildings. The Kent County Health Department says the current mask mandate will expire 60-days after the date the vaccine is authorized and approved. Public opinion is another issue in Michigan . Canadian Press. Since the Mask Mandate took effect, Ottawa County's Corporation Counsel has stated, in writing, that the Health Department 'absolutely holds the right' to require that every student age 12 and up obtain a COVID vaccination as a condition of attending school in Ottawa County. Autoplay. Autoplay. Filed Under: 2 michigan counties order masks for young school kids, kent county, Mask Mandate, Ottawa County GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Western Michigan's two largest counties ordered masks Friday in schools through sixth grade, citing the risk of the COVID-19 delta variant and young children who don't qualify for vaccines. Gretchen Whitmer has declined to order a statewide mask mandate in schools, . A school mask mandate is being dropped in Kalamazoo County, for instance, but will remain in Ingham County. It is wonderful to see a district change course when the science doesn't add up. In Kent County, the health department director . Kent County had the most schools, 11, with outbreaks, while Clinton County had six schools. The Ottawa County health department announced Wednesday that distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine for children will begin this weekend in the county, and also said the face mask mandate in After the county issued the order last week, a vocal group of parents began pushing back against the mandate, saying it should be up to them to decide whether their child wears a mask in school. GRAND HAVEN, MI -- Republican state lawmakers are urging the Ottawa County Health Department not mandate mask wearing in schools this fall. On Monday, January 17, 2022, parents from West Ottawa spoke up for their kids! Argument were heard in person at the Ottawa County Circuit Court in Grand Haven. County parents formed a non-profit with plans to sue Ottawa County over their school mask mandate. The district initially planned . Updated: 6:21 PM EST December 24, 2021. HOLLAND TWP. Kent, Ottawa counties to lift mask mandate in schools after winter break Off to fast start, COVID-19 vaccinations for kids 5-11 will ramp up in coming days Israeli spyware company NSO Group placed. Updated: 6 . The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners talks about mask mandates. If you would like to thank the Board for More:Ottawa County will lift mask mandate Jan. 2, 2022, as vaccine receives approval for kids More:West Ottawa board votes to keep K-12 mask requirement in place More:Holland, Black River keeping . Saugatuck Public Schools: Ottawa* Ottawa County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Marcia Mansaray Deputy Health Officer mmansaray@miottawa.org 616-396-5266 Contact Marcia and share your opinion about forced masking in Ottawa County! It is better if the thread count is higher. Author: wzzm13.com. Province-wide masking regulations. In addition to Oakland and Wayne, Kalamazoo, Allegan, Kent, Ottawa, and Genesee County have also issued some kind of mask mandate for school districts. OTTAWA — A lawsuit in Putnam County seeking to overturn Ohio's mandate that children attending K-12 schools wear masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease from students to teachers . Currently, the Ottawa County Health Department is pressuring school administrators to implement a mask mandate, but Meerman and Slagh believe the decision to wear masks should be left to parents and guardians. The current mask mandate issued by Kent and Ottawa County remains in effect until it expires by its own terms (60 days after a vaccine is available for those under 12 or the infection rate drops . OTTAWA COUNTY — While the face mask mandate in Ottawa County schools is lifting in January 2022, some school districts are deciding to keep face coverings around for students up to sixth grade. Lucas' 7-year-old daughter, Emerson, tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday morning after being exposed […] Hudsonville Public School District: Ottawa* Ottawa County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Parents of school age children and community members in Ottawa County protested a mask mandate order outside the health department on Friday, Aug. 20. Ottawa County says its face masks order in educational settings will be rescinded January 2 nd . OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — While the face mask mandate in Ottawa County schools is lifting in January 2022, some school districts are deciding to keep face coverings around for students up to sixth . State Reps. Luke Meerman, of Coopersville, and Bradley Slagh, of Zeeland, today issued a letter to the Ottawa County Health Department on behalf of local residents who have collectively contacted their offices to voice their concerns that the department may unilaterally mandate mask wearing, quarantines, and other measures in Ottawa County schools. Michigan School Code 380.1307b states, "Any restraint that negatively impacts breathing is prohibited, EVEN DURING AN EMERGENCY." An art student at Lakeshore Middle school tried to adjust his mask on January 11, 2022 and was sent into the hallway for touching his mask. In Ottawa County, a mask mandate remains in effect until it expires, either 60 days after a vaccine becomes available for those younger than age 12, or the infection rate in the county drops into. However, some schools have already . Educational Institutions ensure that children in pre-kindergarten (pre-K) through grade twelve (12), regardless of vaccination status, consistently and . Kent and Ottawa counties have not done that at this time. Since the Mask Mandate took effect, Ottawa County's Corporation Counsel has stated, in writing, that the Health Department 'absolutely holds the right' to require that every student age 12 and up. County parents formed a non-profit with plans to sue Ottawa County over their school mask mandate. Author: wzzm13.com. CHEYENNE, Wyo. As mandates expire, masks optional in some schools On Monday, January 17, 2022, parents from West Ottawa spoke up for their kids! 9. The decision to lift. Gov. It is wonderful to see a district change course when the science doesn't add up. Masks are required for students and staff in preschool through sixth grade under a public health order issued by the Ottawa County Health Department on Friday, Aug. 20. The Hudsonville Public School District is unique in that we are large enough to offer a comprehensive academic program and a wide variety of extracurricular activities, while still small enough to provide individual attention and support for our students. Ottawa County Department of Public Health addresses masks in schools, new CDC guidance on isolation. The action prompted intense. In Ottawa and Kent counties, for example, about half the school districts continue to mandate masks, under district-set policies, while the rest are now mask-optional, according to officials in those two counties. OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — While the face mask mandate in Ottawa County schools is lifting in January 2022, some school districts are deciding to keep face coverings around for students up to sixth . HOLLAND — A trio of Republican state lawmakers sent a letter to the Ottawa County Department of Public Health voicing their opposition a mask mandate in schools this fall, but a top county health. Advertisement (Photo by Mika Baumeister on . Pupil Moritz is on his way to the first day at his new school in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. Anger and vitriol towards local boards and health officials has been a common theme of 2021, as leaders catch heat for school mask mandates and more. The Ottawa County Department of Public Health recently issued public health orders requiring masks to be worn by students inside preschool through sixth grade schools. Kathleen Lucas, a mother from Zeeland, was nervous about sending her daughters back to school after the holidays, especially since Ottawa County rescinded its school mask mandate earlier this month, even with COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly transmissible omicron variant surging. Marquette, Ottawa, Washtenaw and Kent county health departments decided this week to keep their mask mandates, while three others are debating whether to continue student quarantine orders within the budget that Whitmer deemed unconstitutional and unenforceable.. Related: Science says school masks work. OTTAWA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH . Currently, the Ottawa County Health Department is pressuring school administrators to implement a mask mandate, but Meerman and Slagh believe the decision to wear masks should be left to parents and guardians. Published: 6:05 PM EDT September 2, 2021. The mask requirements in Kent County and Ottawa County are set to expire on Jan. 2. . The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners is also named in the suit. When layered prevention strategies are applied consistently, including consistent and proper mask use, school -associated transmission of COVID-19 . 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