February 23, 2022 4:00 a.m.

On Tuesday, former House Republican leader and state representative Christine Drazan urged Governor Brown’s administration to immediately rescind the mask mandate for Oregon students.

Drazan, a Republican candidate for Governor, testified against the permanent rule before it was adopted last month, and said parents should be the ones making decisions about the best approach for their own children.

Drazan said, “I support parents who want their kids to be able to attend school without a mask and I support parents who want their children to continue to wear a mask in the classroom”. Drazan said what matters most is that families have the freedom to make their own decision.

Drazan said a March 31st repeal of the mask order would leave Oregon as one of the last states in the nation with such an order in place.

Drazan suggests the creation of a statewide zero tolerance policy for any bullying related to masks and said students who opt to continue wearing masks must be as accepted as those who do not.