MERIDIAN, Idaho — About two weeks after the West Ada School District issued a face mask requirement that students, teachers and staff could opt out of, the district is suspending the opt-out until Sept. 24.
In an email sent to parents throughout the district, West Ada Superintendent Dr. Derek Bub said the delta variant is disrupting the district's daily operations, and the state's current case and hospitalization rate made it necessary to revise the district's current COVID-19 safety plan.
One of the most significant changes to West Ada's plan is all students, staff and visitors are now required to wear a face mask when in classrooms and when physical distancing is not possible. All current opt-outs for the face mask requirement are suspended.
The mask requirement applies to all students Pre-K through Grade 12, staff and visitors from Sept. 10 through Sept. 24.
Opt-outs will stand for students who have a medical exemption on file, either in a 504 Plan or IEP.
West Ada cited Ada County's high rate of community transmission, rising COVID-19 hospitalizations and the crisis standards of care activated in North Idaho. The email to parents also states that the growing number of student quarantines took time away from administrators who had to contact trace now.
Currently, the West Ada School District has an average of 35% unfilled substitute positions each day, according to the email.
The policy will be re-evaluated on Sept. 22 and may be extended based on COVID-19 data from the district and local healthcare system.
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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