A12
LOCAL
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Wallowa Schools make end to mask mandate offi cial
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA — The Wal-
lowa School Board made it
offi cial during an emergency
session Tuesday, March 1,
and eliminated the require-
ment that students and
employees wear face masks
to guard against the COVID-
19 pandemic.
The move came a day
after Gov. Kate Brown and
the Oregon Health Authority
lifted the face mask require-
ment eff ective March 11.
“The governor and the
Oregon Health Author-
ity have returned local deci-
sion-making to us as they had
in July when they fi rst said
the date of (March) 31 and
then the 19th and now yester-
day they’ve moved that to the
11th,” District Superinten-
dent Tammy Jones said. “So
what that means is the board
is able to decide whether or
not masks are worn or not in
the schools, whether that’s
an option. The CDC (federal
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention) recommends
that masks be worn for cer-
tain individuals. I’m sure
there will still be health and
safety requirements they’ll
have in place and those deci-
sions are now on the table for
us now.”
She said she expected to
learn more about OHA and
CDC requirements the fol-
lowing day during a virtual
meeting she planned to take
part in. On March 2, she said
the meeting just involved
details of how schools and
other public places are to
handle the new freedom,
such as urging hand wash-
ing and other cleaning, masks
for those in high-risk catego-
ries and other safeguards that
have been in place during the
two-year pandemic.
Jones said any possi-
ble quarantines or isolation
is largely up to local health
offi cials.
She said the district regu-
larly meets with Dr. Elizabeth
Powers, chief medical offi cer
of Wallowa Memorial Hospi-
tal, to discuss the pandemic.
“Last week, we were
assured by Dr. Powers that
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this was a good direction to
make masks optional as a
local county,” Jones said.
As for quarantines and iso-
lation, she said, “Right now,
if you test positive, it’s fi ve
days (quarantine) and then
you can return and wear a
mask full time,” she said. “So
that would probably be a mat-
ter if they wanted to wear a
mask full time or take the 10
days (quarantine).”
Jones attended the meet-
ing via Zoom since she had
come down with the virus
herself.
The board voted to lift the
mask mandate eff ective the
“earliest day permissible”
by the state and local health
authorities.
Superintendent resigns
In another matter, the
board accepted the retirement/
resignation of Jones from her
position as superintendent.
“I think we should skip
this one,” said board Chair-
man Woody Wolfe, as he
looked at the next item on the
agenda. However, he opened
it up for discussion.
Jones, who also resigned
from her position on the
Joseph City Council eff ec-
tive Feb. 15, said before the
school board meeting that
the two resignations are in no
way connected.
“In some ways but not
really,” Jones said. “It’s just
time for me and my health.”
She also said she is resign-
ing to spend more time with
her family.
Her letter of resignation
in Joseph said it was because
of pressures and responsibil-
ities at work. She said in a
telephone interview March 2
that she was unable to attend
evening meetings in Joseph
because she had to be at
school functions. Also, in the
two weeks separating the two
resignations, she hadn’t yet
received fi nancial planning
information regarding her
state job.
Jones plans to stay on as
superintendent until the end
of June.
Board member Matt How-
ard made the motion, say-
ing, “Reluctantly, I move to
approve the retirement/resig-
nation of the superintendent.”
The board voted unani-
mously to accept the motion.
This is the second time in
four years the district has lost
a superintendent. In 2020, Jay
Hummel resigned as interim
superintendent after two years
on the job, being replaced by
Jones at that time. Hummel
had replaced Bret Uptmor,
who resigned eff ective July 1,
2018, to take a position with
the Grant School District.
Wolfe asked the board for
authorization to contact the
Oregon School Boards Asso-
ciation and employ it to begin
fi nding an interim superinten-
dent to replace Jones. Since
it usually talks six to eight
months to fi nd a permanent
superintendent, the district
doesn’t have the time before
Jones resigns.
Board members did note
that should they be pleased
with the person hired as
interim superintendent, it
may be possible to off er a per-
manent contract.
In another matter, board
members agreed it is the
superintendent’s job to hire
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a new secondary school
principal.
David Howe, the former
principal of Wallowa High
School, submitted his resig-
nation to be eff ective March
8. However, Howe said
March 2, Jones asked him to
pack leave Jan. 31.
“She came up to my offi ce
about 1:30 in the afternoon
and told me I would be on
paid administrative leave
until March 8,” Howe said.
“She said I must get belong-
ings and I’m not allowed on
school grounds.”
Howe said he was not
told a reason for his early
dismissal either by Jones or
any of the board members.
“I was continuing to
function the best I could
until that point,” he said.
“I’m not sure what the rea-
soning behind that was.”
Wolfe said he could not
comment on Howe’s depar-
ture “in case he has a liabil-
ity case against us.”
Jones declined to say why
she asked Howe to leave.
“That’s something I can’t
comment on,” she said.
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