Masks not required in Ironwood school

IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area Schools Board of Education held a special board meeting on Wednesday to hear an update on COVID-19 requirements and recommendation from superintendent Travis Powell. He said students will not be required to wear masks inside of the school building when they return for classes next week.

“After careful analysis of the current conditions in our community as related to COVID-19 and thorough analysis of our legal obligations and requirements, I recommend making no change to our current policy on COVID response,” Powell said.

The school’s current policy is that masks are recommended but not required, and staff and students should socially distance when possible. Daily health screenings will not be required.

His recommendation comes after the board’s regular meeting on Monday, where the superintendent said he needed to seek legal guidance regarding new information released by the health department before providing a recommendation to the board about their COVID-19 policy.

“I wanted to further research our obligations, requirements and legal status, et cetera, and did not have all the answers to that by Monday’s meeting. This is what I was planning to recommend on Monday, but I needed to verify the legal status and standings. So, I am advocating no change to our current policy,” Powell said.

Powell said that he didn’t know what their COVID-19 requirements will be in fall 2021. He said that if there is a government mandate that says that masks have to be worn, the school board would need to change its policy.

“Our policy is written to remain in effect until conditions in our community change and to operate in accordance with the current guides from MI OSHA, MDHHS and the CDC. I think this policy is properly worded to be flexible and fluid, allowing us to respond to current conditions without having to have special meetings to make changes should conditions require it,” Powell said.

The only place where masks will be required will be on school buses. This is because masks are required on all forms of public transit in the country, Powell said.

The superintendent also responded to some of the questions presented by parents at the meetings on Monday and Wednesday evening. Some parents asked for clarification about their quarantining process, with many saying that it should not be required for children who have close contact with other students with COVID-19.

“The school does not quarantine anybody,” Powell said. “That is not our role. That is the health department. The school district has an opportunity, or a requirement in certain cases, to decide whether or not to exclude students or staff from the building when the health department says they must be quarantined. Students who test positive for COVID will be excluded from attending school during the duration of their designated quarantine period as determined by the health department.”

Students who test positive will not be allowed at school, athletic events or after-school activities.

If a student has contact with a known positive case, the school will send a letter to the student’s parents informing them of the circumstances and advising them of the health department’s recommendations regarding quarantining. They will let parents decide if they want their children to follow these protocols or not, Powell said.

The school will post signs with explanations of their policy around the building per requirements that they make reasonable efforts to communicate their rules to everybody. Powell said that posting signs is the least intrusive way for them to do this.