Gov. Jared Polis implored school superintendents in a letter released Wednesday to institute COVID-19 mitigation strategies such as “masking wearing, especially for the unvaccinated,” among other measures recommended by the state.

Polis has resisted instituting any statewide school measures, but he has stepped up his rhetoric that the state might step in if districts don’t institute health measures and their in-person learning is disrupted.

His priority, repeated for months, has been to keep schools in person, and he said last week that the state would “step in” if schools were moved online because certain districts refused to implement measures like masking.

School districts across the metro and state have begun announcing and instituting their COVID-19 measures in recent weeks. In the letter, the governor and Jill Ryan, the executive director of the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment, wrote that the state is ready to step in if districts slip out of in-person learning.

“The state of Colorado is ready to change course if our students’ safety is threatened or compromised and in-person learning is put in jeopardy,” they wrote, which was released by Polis’ office Wednesday morning. 

Ryan’s department has put out its own recommendations on school mitigation measures. But that guidance changed between early and late July.

After recommending a broad range of strategies like masks, the updated guidance suggests either unvaccinated school employees be required to wear face coverings or everyone in the district be mandated to do so. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended masks in schools. A coalition of 19 Colorado health organizations released a statement last week calling on universal masking in schools.

Polis’ and Ryan’s letter “commended” superintendents who’ve implemented measures and express the “worrisome” move by “some of Colorado’s school districts” to not implement recommended actions.

Polis and Ryan warned they’ve watched other states who’ve eschewed public health guidance, resulting in a “return to remote learning (and) … far too many children” being infected with COVID-19.

Texas, as well as some other states, have outlawed the use of masks in schools.

The letter implored districts to “institute the strategies laid out in our guidance, including mask-wearing, especially for the unvaccinated; serial testing, especially for students engaged in higher-risk activities; and policies that all students and personnel stay home when sick.” 

Masking in particular continues to be a political lightning rod. After Jefferson County Public Schools required only younger students wear masks, a group of parents protested. That requirement was eventually expanded by an order from the county’s public health agency.

On Tuesday, the Tri-County Board of Health voted to institute a mask mandate, after 90 minutes of public comment Monday. That comment was intentionally split between supporters and opponents of a mask mandate.

After the vote, the Douglas County Commissioners – who previously opted out of other public health orders – told the Highlands Ranch Herald that they would pull their county out of this order, as well. 

The commissioners will hold meetings Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the order.