RIPON- Parents of students who attend Ripon Elementary School have been sharing a photo of a letter on social media they say was distributed by “the assistant to the Superintendent Ziggy Robeson”.
We reached out to Ripon Elementary to verify if the letter was authentic. A receptionist we spoke to claimed ignorance so we asked if she could transfer us to the principal. She said they were not available and refused to even share their name despite the fact that it is a public school. When asked to transfer us to someone who was in charge and knew what they were doing, the woman hung up on us.
We then reached out to the Superintendent’s office and we’re able to speak to Executive Assistant to the Superintendent Grace Luke who was professional and told us the letter was real and was not part of official Ripon Unified District policy and sent us an official response.
Below is the statement from Ripon USD:
“The document that has been shared is not official district correspondence. Information related to COVID protocols and guidance is located in the COVID section of our website: https://www.riponusd.net/copy-of-parent-resources
The document is a copy of general legal guidance that was prepared for several districts and does not reflect official district policy, but a menu of legal options available when a student refuses to comply with state COVID mandates. Ripon USD applied for a waiver to return to on-campus classes as early as possible and has offered in-person instruction since August 2020, with students and staff wearing masks.
It is our understanding that a school principal provided the document to a few individual families who were demanding information about potential legal consequences after refusing to allow their child to wear a mask yesterday”.
