This weekend was the Oregon All-State Choir and Band Competition in Eugene.

Middle Schools and high schools all over the state submit recording of their performance with the hopes to be selected to compete. Students in music consider qualifying for this event a badge of honor for their school.

In order to attend and compete, students were divided into two groups. If the student were vaccinated, they got a free pass. However, unvaccinated students were required to show a negative Covid test.

One parent, Katrina Cole, is speaking out against this discriminatory practice between the vaccinated and unvaccinated students. She voiced her concern to Director Sutton of OMEA about the discrimination policy. “I was told there would be no measures taken to protect my child from other students who were vaccinated.”

On January 13, 2022, the Oregon Health Authority reported that 72,683 fully vaccinated individuals have tested positive for Covid that has been reported. CDC also says that people with vaccine breakthrough infections can spread Covid to others.

Cole says, “My son is a student in the Sherwood School district and was scheduled to participate in the All-State choir performance in Eugene with other Oregon middle school students. In order to participate, he was required to show a negative Covid test or a vaccine card. Although he had no known exposure and no symptoms whatsoever, due to his unvaccinated status, we had to take the test. Much to our surprise it was positive.”

Cole is not objecting that her son could not attend, but how many students that are vaccinated were allowed to attend that were also positive. Disappointed, she emailed Director Sutton requesting a refund of the $300 associated with the event and was refused even though attendance was out of their control.

Cole spoke with other health care officials who are very concerned with this policy and extremely surprised the event was not postponed due to our current outbreak situation and school closures.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Not only is this inequitable for the number of students who are testing positive, but it clearly discriminated against unvaccinated students.

She posed the situation to Director Sutton, “My son is not even sick (no symptoms whatsoever). He only tested based on your policy, as an unvaccinated participant. Without requiring this for all participants, you have discriminated against him. This is not equitable at all. How many asymptomatic vaccinated students are you allowing to participate and spread Covid? Now you are refusing to refund the hard-earned money he worked for to be able to attend this event in the first place. I fully support music education, but I hope that the injustices on these policies will be brought to light and corrected in the near future. You can be sure I will be fighting for the rights of ALL students.”


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-01-16 10:35:21

Last Update: 2022-01-17 15:32:36