By David Fleet
Editor
The Genesee County Health Department will now require all students in kindergarten through sixth grade as well as teachers and staff to wear masks in schools and other indoor educational settings following an announcement in Aug. 12.
The county-wide public health order issue from Genesee County Health Department Medical Health Officer Dr. Pamela Hackert took effect immediately and will remain until two months after a COVID-19 vaccine is granted emergency use authorization for children ages 5-11 and coronavirus transmission is considered low or moderate by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In July, Wayne Wright, Goodrich School superintendent announced that masking will be a choice when students and teachers head back this fall in a letter to parents on July 26 when school starts up Aug. 30. As of press time Thursday a notification to parents had not been released.
“We are surprised with the change,” said Wright. “The change from strongly recommending does not leave us any options. We are legally bound by their decision.”
On Aug. 4, the GCHD released their indoor masking directive and strongly recommended and urged all people in Genesee County to voluntarily comply with the directive that, effective immediately, “everyone 5 years of age and older in Genesee County schools should wear a face covering within indoor spaces.”

State lawmakers responded to the GCHD decision.
On Wednesday, State Rep. Mike Mueller (R-51st District which includes Atlas Township and Goodrich) along with other House members called on the Genesee County Health Department to allow individual school districts to make their own decisions about whether students will be required to wear masks in the classroom.
The Genesee County legislators sent a letter to Dr. Pamela Hackert, the medical health officer at the Genesee County Health Department, urging her to end her mandate that all students and teachers in kindergarten through sixth grade wear masks indefinitely, until a vaccine for that age range has been available for eight weeks.
“Representatives are elected by the people – whether to Congress, the state Legislature, the school board, or the county commission – to make governing decisions on behalf of their constituents,” the letter reads. “A mask mandate instituted by one unelected official, such as yourself, undermines the will of the people. We respectfully urge you to continue to allow each school district to set their own guidelines.