JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio hasn't shared what, if any, mask regulations he will recommend to the seven-member board.Government officials have begged, pleaded and even bribed Americans to get the coronavirus vaccine.ĪNDY BESHEAR: This is going to be a special moment, and that's all because she did the right thing. I think whatever the plan is that keeps kids in school and healthy is the way to go." If a student refuses to wear a mask, the district may have little recourse. Unlike last year, JCPS does not have a virtual option for elementary school students.īoard member Sarah McIntosh said Friday she is still talking to experts before taking a stance, but said, "I want kids IN SCHOOL with their teachers and peers. Board member Linda Duncan said she thinks universal masking should be recommended and expected.īut, she said in an email, she doesn't "see how we can force parents to make their kids wear masks unless there is an exclusion consequence." More: After decades with a condemned third floor, Academy Shawnee overhaul is nearly completeīoard vice chairman Chris Kolb and board members James Craig and Corrie Shull have said they plan on supporting universal masking. "Students and their families have unfairly carried the burden of the pandemic on their shoulders, with only a few days of in-person instruction in 16 months, and none without masks," Let Them Learn in JCPS said in a press release Monday.ĭespite an email campaign from the parent group, JCPS board members appear poised to approve a universal mask policy for the start of the school year. More: Here's what a judge ordered the man accused of threatening JCPS leader Marty Pollio over mask mandate to doĪ group of parents brought together by pushing schools to reopen to in-person learning wants to see mask decisions left up to parents, calling a potential mask mandate for kids "unacceptable and irresponsible." Jefferson County's school board is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to continue the partial requirement into the school year, move toward a universal mask policy or switch back to a masks-optional approach.
Soon after the CDC guidance, Kentucky's largest district reversed course and said it would require masks for unvaccinated students attending summer programs.
But, Glass said, conditions have shifted and worsened, and "there may need to be such orders in the future." Mitigation strategies, including mask policies, are up to each school district. Kentucky's top education official told superintendents earlier on Monday to not expect a statewide mask requirement for schools - at least not yet.Įducation Commissioner Jason Glass wrote in an email to superintendents that he didn't know of any mandates from Beshear or the Kentucky Department of Education. "Our priority is not to play politics," Beshear said, or to "get involved in some ridiculous so-called culture war." "Your choice is upset the parents or protect the kids," Beshear said. Having kids in class every day should be schools' top priority, he said, and he doesn't foresee districts having a different priority. But a mandate is not off the table, Beshear said later.
He believes districts will follow the recommendations, which mirror existing state health guidance for schools, without needing a mandate. Interested in education? Sign up for our education newsletter The Hall Pass "If school districts don't embrace mitigation efforts, we're not going to be in school every day," he said.ĭistricts should require all unvaccinated students to wear a mask, Beshear said, including all students under the age of 12.ĭistricts that want as few interruptions to in-person learning as possible should also consider requiring masks for all students, regardless of vaccination status, Beshear said. The Delta variant spreads so quickly, Beshear said, it could lead to "significant quarantines" in classrooms of unvaccinated kids. Andy Beshear said Monday.Ī set of recommendations for districts comes as the Delta variant is "escalating quickly" in Kentucky, Beshear said, and about half of students are not old enough to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Kentucky schools should require unvaccinated students to wear masks in class and consider having everyone mask up, Gov.
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