CALDWELL, Idaho — With the new school year about to enter its second week in the Caldwell School District, masks are required on some campuses for the next two weeks.
Jessica Watts, the public information officer for the Caldwell School District, said students and staff at Caldwell High School and Washington and Lincoln elementary schools are required to wear masks through Sept. 3, and masks are still recommended at the district's other schools.
Also, the Caldwell School District Board of Trustees voted on Monday night to require all visitors to wear masks while in school buildings.
Watts said school officials are monitoring the level of absences at all of the district's schools. If and when an absence level of ten percent is reached, administrators discuss the next steps.
In an additional statement to KTVB, Watts said Caldwell High, Lincoln, and Washington Elementary Schools are exceeding the absentee rates due to COVID-19.
The Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting on Thursday at 5:30 pm to discuss recent COVID-19 data and information, according to Watts.
"We are strongly encouraging families to keep their children home if they or a family member is sick. Masks are still recommended at the other schools in the district," Watts said.
Other large school districts in the Treasure Valley are recommending that students wear masks. Only one, the Boise School District, requires them.
Boise High School specifically has seen six positive cases and 11 students quarantined since school began Aug. 16, according to the Boise School District website.
"I think our mitigating protocols are certainly working. We wish we didn’t have any cases at all. That’s a goal of ours, right?" Boise School District Public Affairs Administrator Dan Hollar said.
The West Ada School District Board voted 2-1 to require students and staff to wear face masks but provided parents an option to opt-out their children from the policy.
Mask recommendations and, in some cases, requirements are in place as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to climb, with the highest numbers of new cases occurring in Ada and Canyon counties.
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