It is unlikely that Oak Harbor students will get to take off their masks in class for weeks, despite a recommendation from the state’s top education authority.

State Superintendent Chris Reykdal made a formal recommendation to Gov. Jay Inslee and the state Department of Health to allow districts to determine whether to continue mask-wearing on a case-by-case basis. The decision to implement the recommendation will ultimately come down to the governor, but Oak Harbor School District officials said they will consult with the public on the matter should the decision be turned over to them.

“No one wants to wear a mask,” Oak Harbor Superintendent Karst Brandsma said. “We’re all looking for the day when there are no masks at all.”

In a Feb. 9 statement, Reykdal said while statewide school mask mandates have been helpful and effective in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in Washington state, it is time to treat the virus as an endemic part of life and respond accordingly.

“With high immunity rates and our ability to carry out rapid antigen tests with nearly every school district participating in our state’s COVID-19 testing program, the time is now to rebalance the health and educational benefits of masking in our schools,” he said. “As part of the transition from pandemic to endemic, I believe it is safe and timely to eliminate the statewide masking requirement for students and allow for a decision by local health officials.”

He said that as part of his recommendation, he expects schools to continue to have rapid COVID tests on-site to quickly assess symptomatic individuals. School districts would also maintain the freedom to enact district mask mandates or other mitigation measures as circumstances require and in accordance with guidance from local health officials.

“The tools to combat this virus today are dramatically better than the tools we had two years ago. I encourage every student and school employee to get their vaccination and booster to lower the risk of the virus,” Reykdal said. “My recommendation today reflects my belief that the benefits of making this change outweigh the ongoing impacts on the learning environment as well as the challenges of maintaining a fixed statewide policy.”

Brandsma said that should Gov. Inslee and the state health department take up Reykdal’s recommendation, Oak Harbor district officials would initiate “careful dialogue” with the community to determine whether to leave mask mandates in place in the district.

He said students, district staff and community members would all be involved in the decision making process. Though he said the decision would be made thoughtfully and deliberately, it is still unlikely district officials will be able to come up with a course of action to please everyone.