Former Environmental Protection Agency officials from two very different presidential administrations faced off on unlikely battle ground this week: a Mississippi school district.
Heather McTeer Toney, a mother of three who served as a top official in the President Barack Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency, and Mandy Gunasekara, a mother of two and former chief of staff for the Donald Trump EPA, both live near Oxford School District, according to Business Insider.
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Toney thinks students in the district should be required to wear masks, Gunasekara thinks they shouldn’t.
Due to an increase in COVID-19 infections throughout the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month issued new recommendations to wear masks in crowded indoor areas, even those who are vaccinated. The centers recommend masking for all students, staff and volunteers in K-12 schools.
Oxford School District is home to seven schools and about 4,652 students. Officials announced late last month that mask would be required through at least Aug. 20., with school starting Friday.
"While no one wants a return to normal more than I do, it would be foolish not to take note of the misfortunes that have already happened to other schools around the state. We need our kids in school," said Oxford Superintendent Bradley Roberson in a letter to parents.
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According to Business Insider, Toney – who now works for the advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund – was relieved when she heard about the mandate. Then she was notified of efforts to oppose mask requirements, specifically by Gunasekara, an environmental lawyer who is known for pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement and other reversals of Obama-era policies during her tenure at Trump’s EPA.
Gunasekara, who Business Insider said might be positioning herself for a political career in Mississippi, has shared a Change.org petition against the Oxford School District mask requirements. As of Wednesday afternoon, 1,260 people had signed the petition.
Around 28,000 live in Oxford, Miss., where the district is located. While Torey – who also served as the mayor of Greenville, Miss. – confirmed to Business Insider that she is a resident of the town, she told the outlet she is not positive that Gunasekara lives there. Gunasekara did not confirm with the outlet whether she lives in Oxford or sends her children to schools in the district.
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Responses to the mask fight on social media have included posts both for and against requiring masks in Oxford schools, said Business Insider. As of this week, Mississippi has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the nation.
Toney said she thinks most parents in the district will ignore the efforts against masking when school starts later this week.