Masks will be required for students in Oswego-based School District 308 when in-person learning begins Wednesday.
The District 308 School Board at a special meeting Thursday night unanimously approved a district safety plan that reversed a decision a few weeks earlier that gave parents the option of whether or not to have their child wear a face mask while in school.
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The move comes after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statewide mask requirement for schools on Aug. 4. According to the mandate, masks are required for students, staff and visitors in all public and private schools from preschool through high school in Illinois.
District 308 School Board member Eugene Gatewood acknowledged some of the struggles and potential impact the pandemic has had on families.
“I personally have known families who have struggled greatly with the impact of wearing masks, of being out of school away from friends and socially, emotionally and mentally,” Gatewood said.
“I know parents who have had to engage therapists for their kids and provide individual support for their kids to learn and adjust to help get through this crisis. I personally know student athletes who have lost opportunities and time to prepare and train and to fulfill the dreams they worked so hard for … some struggled and got through it,” he said.
However, he said the battle against COVID-19 is still going on.
“It is a reality that it attacks the body in ways that are still being discovered in adults and children…” Gatewood said.
“For me, having to support a child’s emotional and mental health after losing a parent, grandparent or loved one can be far more detrimental than the temporary consequences of the season we are going through now,” he said.
The safety plan approved by the board will serve “as a guide to the operations of our district amidst the pandemic knowing our highest priority is the health and safety of our students and staff,” Superintendent John Sparlin said.
“Over the past several weeks our area, like others across the state, has experienced a rise in COVID-19 cases,” he said. “Due to this and an increased presence of the delta variant, Gov. Pritzker issued a mandate that all persons in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 schools wear masks to help slow the spread of the virus. Aside from the mandate, having our safety plan in place is important, as it addresses several other topics.”
The district’s plan includes “layers of mitigation” to protect students and staff and to keep students present in classrooms, district officials said.
The 21-page plan requires masks to be worn in all school buildings and on buses unless someone has a certified medical exemption that is submitted and approved by the district. However, masks may be removed at meal times and while outdoors when social distancing is practiced.
The district’s safety plan addresses social distancing, contact tracing and notification and early release from quarantine as well as cleaning and sanitization procedures related to fighting COVID-19.
The plan approved lays out social distancing guidelines for lunch periods. Elementary student lunch spaces will be designated to allow at least three feet between individuals, and middle and high school student lunch areas will be socially distanced to the maximum allowable space, with a goal of three feet or more between individuals, according to the plan.
Protecting the health and safety of students and staff continues to be the district’s priority but it was also important to develop a plan that was feasible and flexible to adjust to the community and school needs, District 308 Director of Communications Theresa Komitas said.
“Of course we want to maintain in-person school for all students to avoid missed instructional time related to illnesses or exposure,” Komitas said.
The safety plan is available on the district’s website.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.