Ellwood City Area School District

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…

If you have noticed empty shelves at the grocery store, you are not alone and the trend is starting to impact local school districts. During the most recent meeting of Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors, Superintendent Wesley Shipley reported that the district is only receiving 60 percent of its normal inventory. He said items in shortage include trays and cutlery as well as food in general. According to Shipley, the district serves portions that are larger than the national average but have had to cutback because of the pandemic. In order to address the shortage, he said…

Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors passed the district’s health and safety plan Thursday evening, which included wording that the district would follow Pennsylvania State Health Department Guidelines when it comes to the pandemic. Superintendent Dr. Wesley Shipley said that he is still awaiting guidance on how to enforce the recently announced mask mandate in the district’s schools. According to Shipley, for students to be exempt from the mandate parents must provide a letter stating that their child is unable to wear a mask for medical reasons. He said at this time, the district is not requiring an…

Although the Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors didn’t take any formal action Thursday evening regarding an announcement on August 31 from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf that masks are required in schools, the district does plan to enforce the mandate. Wolf announced the secretary of health’s order mandating masks in the state for all schools and licensed child care centers. The new requirement will take effect on Tuesday, September 7 and requires students, teachers and staff to wear masks when inside school buildings. The new mandate will not apply to school sports or outdoor activities. “The science is clear. The Delta variant…

Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors voted Thursday night to leave the decision regarding wearing masks in school up to families. Masks will however be required on the buses. District Superintendent Dr. Wesley Shipley said he is encouraging families to do what they feel is best. “If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, we encourage it,” he said. Although the school will not be mandating masks (other than on the buses), Shipley reminded the board and visitors that should a mandate come down from the state or federal government, that could change. Masks on buses is based…