MERIDIAN, Idaho — The West Ada School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to allow students who wear masks or have been vaccinated to forgo an at-home period of quarantine if exposed to COVID-19 at school.
Under the new guidance, vaccinated students and those wearing a mask at the time of their exposure will be allowed to come to class require face masks for the 2021-2022 school year, but gave parents the option to opt their children out in person and participate in sports and other extracurricular activities, provided they continue wearing a mask and checking for symptoms over a ten-day period, or test negative for the illness on the fifth day.
By contrast, unvaccinated students who have a COVID-19 exposure while not wearing a mask will be sent home for a ten-day quarantine period.
The vote to loosen quarantine restrictions on children and teens who wear a face covering came at the end of a lengthy meeting that saw bitterly-divided testimony on the subject of masks from parents, students, and teachers.
Ultimately, board members voted to require face masks for the 2021-2022 school year, but gave parents the option to opt their children out of the policy.
The opt-out form is available on the district website, and must be returned to the West Ada School District Office in person. Hundreds of parents were lined up outside the office to turn in the form by midday Wednesday.
By signing the form, parents certify that they are aware of the quarantine requirement if their child is exposed without a mask, and that they realize opting out of the face mask requirement goes against the recommendation of Central District Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the school district.
Although the board did not discuss or vote on whether teachers and staff would be allowed to opt out of the mask requirement as well, West Region Director David Moser sent a form to principals Wednesday afternoon that appears to allow school employees to sign up to forgo the mask requirement.
According to district spokeswoman Char Jackson, schools are defining a COVID-19 "exposure" as being within six feet of an infected person for 15 minutes or longer.
"Our goal is to keep kids in-person learning five days a week," Jackson said. "So we do hope that this will encourage parents to have their kids wear a mask in order that they don't get quarantined and miss out on that in-person, in-school instruction."
Board Chair Amy Johnson expressed vexation Tuesday night that major public health decisions were falling on volunteer school board members, teachers, and schoolchildren.
"I think it is important to incentivize people to do the right thing. I am frustrated as heck that we are at a point where our local and state leaders aren't giving any guidance to the community," she said. "That is their responsibility, and it is the community's responsibility to keep adults out of hospitals, it's not just on the backs of kids. I am frustrated that we are at this point where we are being asked and our poor medical professionals are begging school boards because people won't make the right decisions on a public health level."
School is set to begin Thursday in the West Ada School District.
At KTVB, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: www.ktvb.com/coronavirus.
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