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For the past several weeks, a committee made up of school board members, teachers and administrators has been working on developing a new masking policy. The criteria are not based on the community positivity rate, but something more consistent that will keep our students and staff safe and in school.
The St. Joseph School Board voted at its November 30 meeting on a re-masking policy that will not be district-wide but will look at each school individually.
This is how the new policy will work. When a single school’s exclusion rate exceeds 7 percent, masks will be required for all students and staff in that building regardless of vaccination status. The masks will stay in place until the exclusion rate falls below 7 percent consistently for at least two weeks. The exclusion rate is the number of students who are absent due to being positive for COVID-19 or quarantined.
The Board and administration believe this is a good compromise. Looking at each building is a more consistent measure than looking at the district as a whole.
Parents and staff will be notified by school administration if the masking policy must be put into place. We want to do everything we can to keep our students in the classroom, so we would appreciate your cooperation whenever you are notified that masks are required.
In addition to the masking policy, the district is working on a “test-to-stay” program that will keep students in school if they have been exposed to COVID-19 but have not developed symptoms. You will hear more about this program in near future.
In the meantime, if you have questions about the new masking policy, please contact your school principal.