District 196 School Board Removes Mask Mandate Effective Immediately

Press release from Independent School District 196:

March 1, 2022

Masks will no longer be required to be worn in District 196 buildings or transportation, following the School Board's approval to update the 2021-22 COVID-19 Operational Plan for Students, Families and Visitors to Schools.

At a special meeting Tuesday, March 1, the board approved updates to the district's operational plan that align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised guidance on masks in K-12 and early education settings. The new guidance around face masks is based on a new COVID-19 Community Level tool that takes into account the severity of the disease, staffed hospital beds with COVID-19 patients and total new cases.

These numbers place communities in categories of low, medium and high. Use of face masks is optional when the community level is low or medium, and recommended when the level is high, according to the updated guidance. The community level for Dakota County is currently categorized as low, meaning mask use is optional. People can always choose to wear a mask based on personal preference, informed by personal level of risk, and their choice to do so will be supported in all district buildings.

The updated CDC guidance also removed the requirement to wear masks on public transportation, including school buses.

The state requires school districts to allow community members to provide feedback on the COVID-19 operational plan every six months or when any major change is made, whichever comes first. A feedback survey will be available March 2-4. And the feedback form will be shared with families and employees, and will be available on the district’s COVID-19 Dashboard.

This press release was produced by Independent School District 196. The views expressed here are the author’s own.