Masks Required Indoors For District 86 Staff and Students: Rouse

JOLIET, IL —Joliet Public Schools District 86 Superintendent Dr. Theresa Rouse announced last Thursday that all staff and students will be required to wear masks inside school buildings and on busses when they return for the 2021-22 school year. The first day of school is August 18.

"I know the requirement of masks was not something that everyone wanted to hear," Rouse wrote in a blog post on the district's website. "However, we need to be sure we are following the guidance provided to us from the public health experts Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Will County Health Department.

"Will County is currently in substantial transmission of COVID-19 and this means we need to require masks. We will be watching the data closely and we will modify and adjust when it is appropriate to do so"

In the blog post, Rouse detailed some of the specifics about the COVID-19 protocols that will be in place within the district. All staff/students must:

• Wear a mask in all schools and district buildings when not eating or drinking.
• Wear a mask when riding any school bus/van as mandated by the CDC.
• Stay home when they have cold or flu symptoms.
• Report any confirmed or possible COVID-19 cases. The district is required to report these cases to the Will County Health Department.
• Help reduce the spread of COVID-19 by covering nose/mouth when coughing/sneezing and frequently washing hands with soap and water and using hand sanitizer.

Rouse said the district highly recommends that all staff and students get a COVID-19 vaccination and social distance -3 feet -when possible. However, students will not be excluded from in-person learning if 3 feet of distancing is not possible.

The district, Rouse said, will clean and disinfect classrooms daily and maintain proper ventilation in buildings and classrooms.

Additionally, the district will provide free breakfast and lunch services, hold physical education classes and after-school programs with additional safety procedures in place.

Rouse also revealed the results of the Mask Choice Survey, to which 2,445 parents and guardians responded with their thoughts on mask wearing in schools. The superintendent said the results "align with with the current situation."

According to the results: 61 percent of respondents wanted all children to wear masks in school regardless of their vaccination status, 30 percent of respondents wanted parents or guardians to determine if their child would wear a mask, while 9 percent of respondents wanted only non-vaccinated children to wear masks in school.

Rouse said parents and guardians can offer additional thoughts, ask any questions or voice any concerns on the Let's Talk communication tool on the district's website.