Regarding the recent letter from the Department of Education, the United Utah Party agrees with Governor Cox in the belief that the federal government is too far removed to effectively administer mask mandates. However, with that belief, we also believe that state legislatures are too far removed to make those decisions as well. "Their plan to allow county commissioners and councils to declare mask mandates warps issues of public health and children’s safety into an unfortunate game of political maneuvering,"; says UUP Chair Hillary Stirling.

It is thus the position of the UUP that decisions over mask mandates are best left in the hands of nonpartisan, local school boards, who are closest to the problem and can follow the advice of public health experts in implementing solutions. It was these types of decisions that Governor Cox praised in his letter, and yet those decisions are not being implemented this year, even as Utah’s COVID cases surge with the new Delta variant. We are disappointed in the hypocrisy of Governor Cox and state legislators opposing the federal government's role in the mask mandate issue while imposing state control over local school boards and school superintendents attempting to make decisions for their own districts. We call on the legislature as well as Governor Cox to stop trying to score political points, and start recommitting to Utah’s values, including the protection of our children.