KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Students in the Spring Hill School District will no longer need a doctor to sign off on medical exemptions in order for them to opt out of mask mandates.
On Monday, the district's board of education modified its mask order which now allows a parent or legal guardian to sign a medical exemption certification.
The form exempts students "with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a face covering."
It also applies to students "whom wearing a face covering could obstruct breathing or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a face covering without assistance," according to the form.
In addition, the board will draft a resolution to further support the modification made on Monday.
It's a move some parents like Laura Langham are disappointed by and it's led her to take action.
"I’ve filed for official withdrawn from Spring Hill school district and we are looking into moving as soon as possible into a school district that has taken COVID more seriously," Langham said.
Langham has two children under the age of 12 and therefore can't get the vaccine.
"I’m frustrated that the board would put us parents in that kind of position to make those kind of decisions a day before school starts," she said.
Last week, the district announcedit would follow the latest health order passed by the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners, which mandates masks for kindergarten through sixth grade in the county, and require masks for elementary and middle school students, staff and faculty.
In a statement to KSHB 41 News a Johnson County spokesperson said its latest order left it up to schools to come up with exemption guidelines.
“Our order assigns responsibility for documentation of exemptions to schools and their guidelines. Spring Hill has modified its guidelines to allow parents to approve exemptions," the spokesperson said in a statement.
