Clarion County’s public schools have been developing, reviewing, revising and revising again their health and safety plans in anticipation of the new school year.
It was understood students and staff would wear face masks unless a “social distance” of at least 6 feet could be maintained. Seating plans, cafeteria schedules and other operational plans were in place.
But on Monday afternoon, the state Department of Education released a surprise edict: Everyone over the age of 2 in public school buildings will be required to wear a face mask or face shield, regardless of the social distancing standard of 6 feet.
Algoe said the new requirement was based on an opinion from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The announcement didn’t change the mask rules – schools may allow the removal of face coverings by students under the following conditions:
— Eating or drinking when spaced at least 6 feet apart.
— When wearing a face covering creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task.
— Face-covering breaks when at least 6 feet apart are to last no longer than 10 minutes.
But the elimination of the 6-feet rule is a major change.
Algoe said the district has fielded many calls during the past few weeks from parents asking about the mask rules. Until Monday afternoon, Algoe said, parents were advised children wouldn’t have to wear masks at their desks as classrooms have been reorganized to meet the 6-feet spacing standard.
“In the end, your word and your integrity is all you really have,” Algoe said. “It’s important that the community can speak to us and trust us. These kind of last-minute changes are undermining the public’s trust in school district administrators.”
Part of the problem, Algoe said, are changes like the mask requirement are announced in press releases to the media before they are announced to school administrators.
“The word is out before (administrators) even know about it and the public thinks we’re holding things back from them,” Algoe said.
Board member Dwayne Van Tassel said another frustrating matter is the choice of words used by Gov. Tom Wolf, the state Department of Education and the state Department of Health.
“They use slippery, slimy words like ‘guidelines,’ ‘recommendation’ and ‘suggestion,”‘ Van Tassel said. “They all want to avoid liability.
“It’s a lack of accountability on their part. If you’re going to shove it down our throats, be accountable.”
While the changes handed down by state agencies have forced school districts to change their health and safety plans several times – the Keystone district approved its third version this month – Algoe said most parents have been understanding.
“But there is some push-back,” he said.
If COVID-19 turns up
One of the questions school districts have had for several weeks while planning reopenings has been what happens if a student tests positive for the coronavirus.
Algoe said recent guidelines released by the state Department of Education helped establish a preliminary protocol.
If an entire school is recommended to close, lengths of closure time would vary by level of community transmission and number of cases.
This would allow public health staff time to complete case investigations and contact tracing, and to provide schools with other public health advice like cleaning and disinfecting.
A major factor in the protocol would depend on the county’s “level of community transmission.”
If the level of community transmission is in the low to moderate range, schools wouldn’t have to close based on one positive test.
The method of determining that factor could be confusing in districts such as Allegheny-Clarion Valley or Clarion-Limestone, which draw students from multiple counties.
The entire set of recommendations – and/or requirements – concerning COVID-19 planning and reaction can be found on the state Department of Education’s website.
Algoe told board members district administrators are focused on reopening the school for face-to-face education and keeping students in the classroom while keeping them safe.
“We will have the best possible plan in place when we open Aug. 26,” Algoe said.