ECASD: Mask Requirement to Continue

Although Governor Tom Wolf announced a possible end to the mask mandate in schools, the filing of an appeal has forced the Ellwood City Area School District to stay the course and require masks to be worn.

During Thursday evening’s board of directors meeting, Superintendent Wesley Shipley said that appeal locked the mandate back in place.

“Until January 17 the mask mandate will stay in place,” he said.

Solicitor Jennifer Dambeck said for now, until any formal official end of the mandate the school is advised to comply.

“We are in a waiting pattern once again,” she said.

Governor Tom Wolf announced on November 8, 2021, the intention to return the commonwealth’s K-12 school mask requirement to local leaders on January 17, 2022. Upon the expiration of the statewide mandate, local school officials will again be able to implement mitigation efforts at the local level. At that time, schools may continue requiring mask-wearing based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.

“The school mask order has been critical in ensuring Pennsylvania’s children could safely learn and grow in an in-person classroom setting at the beginning of the school year,” said Gov. Wolf. “During the announcement, my administration made clear that we would continue to reevaluate the status of the school mask mandate. Now, we are in a different place than we were in September, and it is time to prepare for a transition back to a more normal setting. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 virus is now a part of our daily lives, but with the knowledge we’ve gained over the past 20 months and critical tools like the vaccine at our disposal, we must take the next step forward in our recovery. With more than 70 percent of adults vaccinated in Pennsylvania and the recently expanded vaccine eligibility, I strongly encourage parents to take safety measures to protect your children and your family – like getting vaccinated.”

The current Secretary of Health order requires masks to be worn inside K-12 school buildings, early learning programs and child care providers for both children and adults regardless of vaccination status. The full order remains in effect until an additional announcement in mid-January at which time the administration anticipates local K-12 school officials will again be able to implement mitigation efforts at the local level. The full order will remain in effect for early learning programs and child care providers until further notification.

This new announcement follows a previous announcement in August, which began the mask mandate in schools. At that time, Wolf announced the secretary of health’s order mandating masks in the state for all schools and licensed child care centers. That requirement took effect on Tuesday, September 7.
In September ECASD Superintendent Dr. Wesley Shipley said this is not a mandate coming from himself or his administration nor was it the action the district wanted to take or was expecting to take this school year.

In fact, the mandate prompted a swift change from early August, when ECASD’s administration and board of directors had hopes that the students could return to school and continue classes mask free. On August 12 the Board of Directors voted to leave the decision regarding wearing masks in school up to families.

At that time, they decided that masks would be only required on the buses to stay in line with a federal mandate on mass transit.

District Superintendent Dr. Wesley Shipley said during that August 12 meeting that he would encourage families to do what they feel is best.

“If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, we encourage it,” he said in early August, but reminded the board and visitors that should a mandate come down from the state or federal government, the plan would change.