Universal masking returns to all USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden school buildings Tuesday.
The school board voted 4 to 1 Monday to reinstate masking throughout the district at the recommendation of the Medical Advisory Committee. Board member Brandy Santos was the lone opponent to the requirement.
The district in October relaxed masking at places like the high school due to increased availability of vaccines for those age groups. Outgoing Board President Jurdene Coleman says she was hoping to see the masking policy actually decrease by spring break.
That point was reiterated by local physician and committee member Dr. Ryan Knopp.
Coleman says their plan was to start reducing masks throughout the district instead of increasing use. Superintendent Dr. Marvin Wade says the response from the district’s nurses on universal masking has been mixed.
Wade’s recommendation was to come back to the Pandemic Response Plan before January 21st, which is around three weeks away. The district has re-evaluated its plan once a month during its second monthly school board meeting since August. However, the medical committee advised at least four to six weeks for the current plan, which was adopted by the school board Monday. Dr. Knopp explains why that time frame was chosen.
It isn’t just COVID causing concerns following the holiday break. Rising numbers of influenza are also being reported by doctors in the Manhattan area, though an exact number of flu cases is unknown since that data isn’t tracked locally. Testing for COVID-19 is also at a premium, as Knopp says the availability of testing kits has been strained as of late.
The school board will revisit the pandemic response plan in February, with the new board seated by then. The board meets for its first regular meeting of 2022 on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Robinson Education Center.
