What are the Guidelines for Wearing Face Masks in Schools?

When Saucon Valley students return to school Aug. 24 they will be facing a new normal, due to restrictions that will be in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

They will also be among the few students in the Lehigh Valley whose district has opted to hold regular classes entirely in-person.

State officials recently recommended only remote learning or a hybrid alternative that blends online and in-person education in counties that are considered to have a moderate COVID-19 transmission rate. Northampton, Lehigh and most of Pennsylvania’s 65 other counties are ranked in the moderate category for transmission of the disease.

A number of local school districts have backed away from bringing students back full-time since the state’s recommendation was made earlier this month, including the Bethlehem and Nazareth Area school districts. In Bethlehem, for example, students will now attend in-person classes two days a week, which the district said will reduce the seating capacity in the classes to no more than 50 percent.

Over the summer, Saucon Valley abandoned consideration of a hybrid model for reopening schools. The district has not altered its plans to bring students back to class full-time, and there appears to be broad support among parents for doing that.

According to sources familiar with the data, among families with children enrolled in the district approximately 80 percent of parents have opted to send their kids back to school in lieu of full-time remote learning at home; an option that was available to all families.

Students who attend classes in-person will work at desks that are spaced at least six feet apart and won’t partake in longstanding public school traditions like lunch in a crowded cafeteria and playing outside during recess, because they don’t allow for social distancing.

Another consequence of the pandemic is that under recently updated Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines, Saucon Valley students as well as district staff will be required to wear face masks most of the time they are in school.

District administrators previously said students will receive 10-minute “mask breaks” throughout the day when they can remove their face coverings.

The following face covering requirements for staff, students and athletes are from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and based upon the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s orders, including a July 1 order that requires all residents over the age of two to wear a face covering when they leave home (with exceptions for medical conditions).

School Staff and Visitors

• Face coverings such as masks or face shields must be worn by all non-students, both staff and visitors (including parents and guardians), while on school property, including during student drop-off and pickup.
• Individuals must wear a face covering (mask or face shield) unless they have a medical or mental health condition or disability, documented in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, that precludes the wearing of a face covering in school.
• The use of face coverings must be reinforced among all staff.
• Face coverings may be removed to eat or drink during breaks and lunch periods; however, at those times, social distancing must be practiced.
• Staff are not required to wear a face covering in situations where wearing a face covering creates an unsafe condition to operate equipment or execute a task.
• Transparent face coverings provide the opportunity for more visual cues and should be considered as an alternative for younger students, students who are deaf and hard of hearing and their teachers. Individuals who are communicating or seeking to communicate with someone who is hearing impaired or who has another disability, where the ability to see the mouth is essential to communication, are not required to wear a mask; however, individuals should consider using another type of face covering such as a plastic face shield and increase physical distancing.
• Districts must have an adequate supply of face coverings and other personal protective equipment (PPE) at each school building and carefully monitor inventory. (See Pennsylvania COVID-19 PPE & Supplies Business-2-Business (B2B) Interchange Directory for assistance sourcing these materials.)

Students

• All students must wear a face covering (cloth mask or face shield) that covers their nose and mouth inside the school and while outside when physical distancing is not feasible.
• Children two years and older are required to wear a face covering unless they have a medical or mental health condition or disability, documented in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or IDEA, that precludes the wearing of a face covering in school. Accommodations for such students should be made in partnership with the student’s health care provider, school nurse, and IEP/504 team.
• Students and families should be taught how to properly wear a face covering (cover nose and mouth), to maintain hand hygiene when removing the face covering for meals and physical activity and how to replace and maintain a cloth face covering with regular washing.
• Schools may allow students to remove face coverings:
  • When eating or drinking when spaced at least six feet apart.
  • When wearing a face covering creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task.
  • When they are at least six feet apart during “face-covering breaks” that last no longer than 10 minutes.
• Transparent face coverings provide the opportunity for more visual cues and should be considered as an alternative for younger students, students who are deaf and hard of hearing and their teachers.

Sports

• Coaches, athletes and spectators must wear face coverings unless they are outdoors and can consistently maintain social distancing of at least six feet. Athletes are not required to wear face coverings while actively engaged in workouts and competition that prevent the wearing of face coverings, but must wear face coverings when on the sidelines, in the dugout, etc. and anytime six feet of social distancing is not possible.

The face mask requirement in Pennsylvania as in other states that have one has proven divisive, with arguments over their use sometimes breaking out along partisan lines.

It remains unclear whether the state departments of health and education will monitor districts in order to gauge compliance with the mask and other COVID-19 mandates, or how the district will respond to conflicts that could arise over the use of face coverings.

Another question that remains undecided is the fate of fall sports, which will likely be determined by the school board, although it remains unclear if all or only some sports–such as football, which is considered a close-contact sport–would be impacted, or how.

Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf has recommended against playing sports until at least Jan. 1, 2021. After Wolf did so, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association delayed the start of the season by two weeks, in order to further study the isssue.

A highly-anticipated announcement from PIAA regarding fall play is expected this Friday, Aug. 21.

The next Saucon Valley School Board meeting will be held virtually on Zoom on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.