Coronavirus in rural America (Part CXLIX): More rural school trauma, this time out of Oregon

The Oregonian reports from Adrian, Oregon, population 177, in Malheur County, in the south eastern corner of the state.  The headline is, "Rural Oregon school superintendent fired after enforcing state mask mandate," and here's the lede: 

Kevin Purnell was fired Monday as superintendent of the Adrian School District just one week after students returned to school.

The Adrian School Board, convening in an emotionally charged special meeting, voted 4-1 Monday evening to terminate Purnell after meeting in an executive, or closed door, session for less than half an hour to consider the matter.

The board provided no public explanation for its surprise decision to oust a superintendent who has been on the job for three years and in the district for 14 years. But critics and supporters of Purnell’s stance on mask mandates made clear it was a pivotal issue in his fissure with the board.

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The conflicts ... emerged amid rising COVID-19 cases in Malheur County and continued opposition to government-mandated mask-wearing in Adrian. Purnell has said he is not in favor of Gov. Kate Brown’s mandates, but he was described in comments by Adrian residents as a “rule follower” who would enforce them anyway.

The board has not named interim superintendent.

Adrian taxpayers will pay $52,500 plus health insurance costs owed to Purnell’s under his contract over the next six months.

Purnell has been an educator for 37 years and an administrator for 19.

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“I’m a senior this year at Adrian and I don’t really care what it takes,” said Elizabeth Nielson, Associated Student Body president. “Being online in school was not good. And if it means doing something I don’t want to do, because I don’t want to wear a mask, I’ll do what it takes” to attend school in person.

In other words, this student leader is willing to wear a mask if it means she can attend school in person.  In effect, she supports the superintendent. 

Across Oregon, school boards have been angered by Gov. Kate Brown’s mandates, including the requirement that everyone in a school building wear a mask. Two other local superintendents, Alisha McBride in Vale and Darren Johnson in Nyssa, have publicly come out against the mask order since it was announced in July, but their districts have been complying.

Here's my recent coverage of a school board meeting in rural Arkansas, in my hometown, where no superintendent was standing up for the kids' health--and thus none got fired.  

My news feed is full of illustrations of and commentary about bad behavior by patrons at school board meetings.  It's definitely a thing right now.  One clip even showed patrons threatening violence against the school board.  

Postscript:  From The Oregonian, an editorial on Sept. 5, 2021, about events in Adrian and another small Oregon school district, Newberg.  

Further Postscript:  The school district is paying $100,000 in damages to the terminated superintendent, Purnell, in exchange for an agreement that he will not sue.