Harford County Public Schools Issues Guidance On Masks

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Harford County is requiring masks on school buses and indoors, officials announced Thursday.

Starting Monday, Aug. 16, masks will be required in all school buildings and on school buses, according to a statement from Harford County Public Schools (HCPS). Masks are already required on school buses by federal order.

Wearing masks in school buildings will enable students to remain in class rather than be sidelined in quarantine, which happened during the last school year, Superintendent Sean Bulson and Board of Education President Rachel Gauthier wrote in a letter to the community.

"Our goal is to keep schools open and to keep our students in school," Bulson and Gauthier wrote in their letter, which said masks would be mandatory in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Harford County Health Department, American Academy of Pediatrics, Maryland Department of Health and Maryland State Department of Education.

"The CDC has issued an exception to quarantine guidance for schools, whereby if COVID-19 protocols are followed (such as 3-feet distancing, cleaning, and ventilation improvements), and students are wearing masks, then quarantine may not be required," Bulson and Gauthier wrote. "This is a huge support in keeping our students in school."

These will be required:

• Wearing masks indoors and on school buses
• Staying home when sick with these symptoms: nausea, shortness of breath, fatigue, congestion, runny nose, sore throat, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or sense of smell, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, fever or chills
• Washing hands frequently
• Sanitizing and cleaning

If students were not wearing masks, they could face quarantines of 10 to 14 days, the HCPS leaders said.

"As we experienced last school year, quarantine can be extremely disruptive to learning and our goal is to reduce quarantine to keep our students in school," Bulson and Gauthier said.

"The community can help keep our students and staff in school by monitoring themselves for signs and symptoms of COVID, wearing their masks over their mouths and noses, getting the COVID-19 vaccine when/if eligible, and strictly following quarantine and isolation guidelines when ill or when identified as a close contact to someone with COVID-19," the leaders said.

Following the CDC guidance involves layers of preventive strategies, HCPS officials said, such as:

• Distance 3 feet wherever possible
• Test symptomatic people and "close contacts" of those infected
• Hold vaccination clinics and encourage getting the COVID-19 vaccine if eligible
• Promote outdoor activities whenever and wherever possible
• Incorporate safety layers like specialty PPE and plexiglass

There will also be "special mitigation strategies for high-risk activities, and response to outbreaks," Bulson and Gauthier said, and more "conversations around mitigation strategies for the upcoming school year" are expected.

The Harford County Board of Education will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 16. Masks will be required at the meeting.

Schools will reopen Sept. 8 for students in grades K to 12, while prekindergarten students will start on Sept. 10.

Related:

• Harford County Executive Urges Vaccination: 'We're In A Surge'
• Back To School: Harford County Public Schools 2021-22 Calendar
• 'No Plans For A Mask Mandate': Harford County Executive