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Instead of a sweeping mask requirement for one group of Greeley-Evans School District 6 students and staff, the district will switch to a new district-wide policy in early February.
Starting Feb. 7, District 6’s mask requirement for non-charter schools and buildings will be based on 5% of the actual positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff.
The district on Thursday afternoon sent deeper and separate communication to both families and staff on the meaning and ins and outs of the new policy.
“Students and staff may be required to wear masks for a minimum of five days and possibly longer if he number of positive or probable COVID-19 cases at schools and sites reaches five percent of total population,” according to District 6.
While the new policy now favors personal choice on masks, the district’s updated guidance Thursday said it continues to “strongly recommended” for all students and staff at district sites. A well-fitting medical grade mask is strongly recommended for staff.
The District 6 board of education approved the change in a 6-1 vote at its meeting Monday night. In late August, the previous board opted for a mask requirement for students and staff in pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade buildings. A significant part of this decision was based on the availability of vaccines to high school students at the time.
The newest and latest resolution came from Kyle Bentley, one of three new board members elected in November.
“We had to get something everybody was comfortable with,” Bentley said Monday night. “With 5%, I hope we can flatten the trajectory and keep kids in schools.”
As of Thursday, three District 6 schools will be on remote learning until Monday. Brentwood Middle School was added to the remote-learning list Thursday, joining Jefferson Junior High and eighth graders at University.
Thirty-nine students at seven schools are on quarantine status as of Thursday, according to the District 6 COVID-19 dashboard. District 6 has an enrollment of 22,170 for the current school year, according to the Colorado Department of Education.
District 6 chief of communications Theresa Myers said a separate communication was sent to staff in part because the new protocol is related to “staff-specific activities.” Myers said any district personnel supervising lunch or a meal will be asked to wear a mask. The district’s nutrition services department has been “hit hard” with COVID-19, according to Myers.
Nearly 16%, or 23, of the 145 nutrition services employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since early January following winter break. Myers said seven nutrition services workers are currently out now and 16 others were previously out following positive tests.
After Feb. 7, families will continue to be notified when students are exposed to COVID-19 at school. But, quarantining for exposure will no longer be routine.
Quarantines will only occur when students who are “unmasked and unvaccinated are exposed to COVID-19 during high-risk activities. High-risk activities include: indoor physical education at the secondary-school level, athletic practices and competitions, music and theater practices and performances, and eating with another person for more than 15 minutes.
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