TURLOCK, Calif. — UPDATE: After a meeting today, the District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to authorize electronic (virtual) meetings of the Board of Trustees following a mask dispute among members.
The District Board of Trustees is required by law to pass a resolution when making this change.
-----
Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees canceled their first meeting of 2022 before it was even called to order after calls for people to mask up were ignored.
District spokesperson Marie Russell told ABC10 some in-person attendees didn't want to mask up or switch to Zoom, so the meeting was canceled "due to a failure to adhere to the California Department of Public Health requirements."
The spokesperson did, however, say Turlock Unified is working with legal counsel to find options moving forward allowing them to "conduct school business while meeting all requirements from the (California Department of Public Health)."
According to previous reporting by the Modesto Bee, Trustee Jeffrey Cortinas refused to adhere to mask mandates during a number of public meetings in 2021. One incident led to the school board dismissing all students from the meeting.
It is unclear whether Cortinas prompted Tuesday's board meeting cancelation. The district did not answer follow up questions regarding who wouldn't wear masks and how many people they meant by "some." ABC10 reached out members of the board but have not heard back at publishing time.
The Turlock Teachers Association provided the following statement.
"Turlock teachers are disappointed that the important business on last night’s agenda was not able to be accomplished," the Turlock Teachers Association said in a statement to ABC10. "We hope that the community will come together to ensure that in-person learning and district business are conducted safely so we can avoid disruption, particularly for our students."
A full statement from the district is available below.
"At last night’s TUSD Board of Trustees meeting, some participants were unwilling to adhere to the current California Department of Public Health (CDPH) requirements for masking nor were they willing to participate remotely as an accommodation established by the District and used successfully in the past. As a result, the Board President cancelled the meeting prior to it being called to order. The District is working with legal counsel to evaluate options for moving forward to conduct school business while meeting all requirements from the CDPH.
Agenda items from the January 4th meeting will be moved to the January 18th meeting."
