Rocklin Unified educators protest district’s rejection of mask mandate

Around 200 Rocklin Unified School District teachers and school staff called in sick or didn’t show up to work Monday to protest the district school board’s decision last week to stop enforcing the state K-12 mask mandate while it remained in place.

Prior to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement Monday that California will no longer require masks in schools after March 11, the Sacramento-area Rocklin Unified School District’s board held a last-minute meeting to make masks optional for its students, the Sacramento Bee reported.

The board’s decision outraged the local teachers union, Rocklin Teachers Professional Association, which said teachers were only given a day’s notice of the meeting during the President’s Week break, according to the Bee.

Other Sacramento-area districts have also planned to defy the mandate over the next few weeks, including Roseville Joint Unified, El Dorado Joint Union High School District and Nevada Joint Union High School District.