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MILL HALL -- In the Keystone Central School District, the masks are staying put.
On Sunday, KCSD superintendent Jacquelyn Martin announced that the district would continue to follow its health and safety plan, which means that there will be “voluntary masking” for students and staff.
In an email, Martin said: "The universal masking order for K-12 Pennsylvania schools has been lifted by action of the PA Supreme Court. The KCSD Health and Safety Plan will continue to be implemented across all schools. Our board approved plan includes voluntary masking unless there are state or federal mandates. Masking on school buses is covered by a federal regulation and is still required.
"Even though the state level masking order has been lifted, COVID-19 is still considered to be a significant health risk to many. I am encouraging everyone to continue to wear a mask indoors, especially when you are within 3 feet of others. If you wish for your child to wear a mask at school, please inform your child's teachers so that they can support your request during the school day. We will continue to conduct contact tracing for known positive cases and enforce quarantine protocols. Wearing a mask while in close contact will help to limit the number of students and staff who will need to quarantine and be excluded from attending school in person."
On Friday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that an order that has kept the state's schoolchildren masked for months must be voided. The decision upheld a Commonwealth Court ruling that found the masking order issued in August by Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam is unenforceable. Beam lacked authority to require that students wear face masks while in school in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19, the two state courts concluded.
Martin also addressed vaccines in the email. She said: "According to the CDC website, 'vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are at low risk of symptomatic or severe infection. A growing body of evidence suggests that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are less likely to become infected and develop symptoms and are at substantially reduced risk from severe illness and death from COVID-19 compared with unvaccinated people.' Please review reliable sources of information on vaccinations and consult with your physician to determine if vaccinations are recommended for any members of your family."
More information about vaccines can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html/
She also cited the CDC's guidance regarding masking.
"Given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, CDC has updated the guidance for fully vaccinated people. CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status," Martin said.
According to Martin, KCSD's efforts during the pandemic have helped keep its schools open.
"Our mitigation efforts have been successful in our schools thus far as our school based outbreaks have been contained and much lower than the spread in the community. If this changes, universal masking may be required again. We will continue to maintain seating charts and keep students 3-6 feet apart when possible along with providing proper ventilation, cleaning, and sanitization in our buildings. Promote handwashing and proper respiratory etiquette at home and school," Martin said in the email.
Finally, Martin asked that parents help in the fight against COVID-19.
"We urge our families to keep children at home when they are sick. Students may be sent home by the school nurse if they are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. I monitor our case counts daily with our administrative team. If COVID-19 cases reach a level of 5% within a school, families should know that we may be required to close our schools or move to full remote learning at a moment's notice. If we do not have adequate staffing, we also may have to close our schools or move to fully remote learning. Let's continue to work together and make good choices to keep schools open and everyone safe," Martin concluded.