For the past two years, Oregon and the rest of the United States have seen many changes with masks and other COVID-19 protocols, and there’s another big change on the way. The statewide mask mandate will be lifted effective next Saturday, March 12, and in the Fern Ridge School District, masks will be optional for students and staff.
Masks will no longer be required with the exception of public transportation (buses, planes, etc.), health care settings (doctors’ offices, hospitals, clinics, etc.) and other specialized settings, but they will still be strongly encouraged. Mask restrictions and protocols for schools will be turned over to each district to make a decision.
Since the news first came out about the mask mandates being lifted, FRSD Superintendent Gary Carpenter has been working with local health authorities, the district nurse, and school administrators to make a plan for the district.
The plan was to keep the mask mandate in place until March 19, the original date for the mandate to be lifted statewide. However, after new information was released Wednesday, the decision started to lean more toward aligning with the March 12 date, according to Carpenter.
He sent an email to staff outlining the plan for March 14, the first day of classes after the lifting of the mandate. According to the email, masks for all students will be optional at school and on buses; there will be exceptions for certain staff and in certain environments. Contact tracing and quarantining will no longer be required as long as the person is asymptomatic. Isolation still will be required for someone with COVID-19 if they are showing symptoms (students should stay home if they are having symptoms or have a positive case). Testing for COVID-19 still will be available if staff or students are exposed to a positive case. The optional weekly testing program will continue as well.
“As we have done since the start of the pandemic, we will follow all requirements and pass along all recommendations,” Carpenter said.
Although masks will be optional, they still will be strongly encouraged.
“We will certainly continue to support students who choose to wear a mask and will expect the same from all of our students,” EHS Principal Rick Gardner said. “It’s important that students understand with masks being optional that some staff and students may still choose to wear a mask, and we must respect that choice.”
Carpenter added: “We must work to ensure that everyone’s personal choices are met with respect.”
