MONO COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Public Health Officer Order: Rescinding the September 20, 2021, Order Temporarily Closing Mammoth Unified School District’s Mammoth High School and Mammoth Middle School for In-Person Instruction
P.O. BOX 3329, MAMMOTH LAKES, CA 93546 PHONE (760) 924-1830 • FAX (760) 924-1831
September 27, 2021
WHEREAS, a state of emergency has been declared by the State of California, and local emergencies have been declared in Mono County in response to the virus COVID-19 (Coronavirus); and
WHEREAS, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California for the 2021-22 school year, on the foundational principle that all students must have access to safe and full in-person instruction and to as much instructional time as possible; and
WHEREAS, despite its adherence to the CDPH guidelines, including the CDPH directives for modified quarantine, which allows for students meeting certain criteria to remain on campus under modified quarantine procedures, Mammoth Unified School District (“District”) recently placed approximately 250 students, administrative staff, andteachers in isolation or modified quarantine; and
WHEREAS, on September 20, as a result of the shortage of staff to ensure compliance with CDPH guidelines and safety on campus for all students, the District initiated closure of the Mammoth High School and Mammoth Middle School for in-person instruction pursuant to an emergency as that term is defined in Education Code section 41422 in order to provide uninterrupted academic instruction through distance learning; and
WHEREAS, the Mono County Public Health Officer issued a Public Health Order effectuating closure of the Mammoth High School and Mammoth Middle School for in-person instruction on September 20th (“Order”); and
WHEREAS, since the Order was made, Mono County Public Health has worked alongside the California Department of Public Health to develop a-test-to-return plan, wherein students who follow a scheduled testing protocol and continue to test negative for COVID may return to school and students who fail to follow the testing protocol or whotest positive for COVID will remain under quarantine or isolation; and
WHEREAS, this test-to-return plan is intended to provide the District with theability to adhere to the CDPH guidelines while remaining open for in-person instruction.
NOW, THEREFORE, effective beginning Monday, September 27, 2021, under the authority of California Health and Safety Code sections 101040, 101085 and 120175 and Title 17 California Code of Regulations, Section 2501; Article XI of the California Constitution; California Government Code Sections 8634, and 8665, the Mono County Health Officer:
HEREBY ORDERS as follows:
The following Order of the Local Health Officer for the Town of Mammoth Lakes and Mono County is hereby rescinded: • 09/20/2021 – Temporary Closure of Mammoth Unified School District’s Mammoth High School and Mammoth Middle School for In-Person Instruction.
General Provisions
1. This Order is made in accordance with all applicable State and Federal laws, including but not limited to: Health and Safety Code sections 101030, et seq.; Health and Safety Code sections 120100, et seq.; and Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations section 2501.
2. Copies of this Order shall promptly be posted on the County of Mono’s Public Health Department’s website (monohealth.com) and provided to any member of the public requesting a copy of this Order.
_____________________________________ Date: 9/24/21
Richard Johnson, MD
Acting Local Health Officer for Mono County and the Town of Mammoth Lakes
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Very regally put, all those “whereas” clauses before the single sentence at the bottom that matters, all those citations to statutes. King George would have been hard pressed to top it.