Students and parents protest Oregon’s mask mandate outside La Grande Middle School on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022.

LA GRANDE — Dozens of parents and La Grande students of varying ages rallied outside of La Grande Middle School on the morning of Friday, Feb. 11, to voice their opposition to mask requirements in school.

The demonstration is one of many that have occurred across the state in the wake of Oregon health officials announcing that indoor mask mandates will continue until the end of March.

“We don’t like wearing the stupid masks!” one student yelled during the protest.

The outdoor rally along Fourth Street in La Grande comes just one day after a number of students at La Grande Middle School refused to wear masks indoors. The protest involved students from Central Elementary and La Grande Middle School, along with many parents.

Lloyd Mills, a parent of two students at Central Elementary, attended the protest in favor of optional mask usage.

“They were forced out,” Mills said of his children. “They said I had to take them home because I didn’t want them wearing masks. I couldn’t even take my kids to school.”

Many parents stood alongside their children at the protest, holding signs and chanting at oncoming cars. Numerous motorists driving by honked in support, while one driver yelled out, “Wear your mask!”

The rally started around 7:30 a.m. Feb. 11 and lasted through the start of the school day. Upon school starting, many students remained at the rally. Students who attempted to enter the building without masks were turned away.

“They won’t let our kids go to school,” one parent said.

The issue has been prevalent since before the start of the school year, when many parents refused to send their children to school if they were required to wear masks.

“If you look at the left, when they make their arguments for abortion they say, ‘My body, my choice.’ How is this any different?” Mills stated. “They can kill their children, but we can’t keep masks off of ours? That doesn’t make any sense. This is the result of that.”

La Grande Superintendent George Mendoza noted that the students at the rally had the option to go into the school with a mask on or go home with their parents at the conclusion of the protest.

“We support peaceful protests,” Mendoza said.

Aware of protests planned for Feb. 11, the superintendent posted a letter to the district’s website on Feb. 10, which read in part: “We remind students and families that La Grande School District is obligated to follow direction from the state. Students who refuse to wear masks per the rule will not be allowed to remain on campus and will receive an unexcused absence for the day. The Oregon Department of Education guidance states, ‘Schools cannot serve a student in-person if they or their family choose not to wear a face covering.’”

According to Mendoza, the La Grande School District is working toward making masks optional prior to the March 31 date set by the Oregon Health Authority for lifting mask requirements.

Across the La Grande School District, 69 students missed school last week for either positive cases, close contact or primary COVID-19 symptoms.

In Union County, OHA recorded 213 positive COVID-19 cases in the first nine days of February. The county has totaled 4,860 cases since the start of the pandemic.