On first day without masks, 9 Johnson County schools reinstate mandate due to COVID-19
After one day without a mask mandate, several Shawnee Mission schools will reinstate the requirement following high levels of reported COVID-19 transmission.
Nine middle and high schools within the district by Wednesday had met a threshold previously set by the local school board that would trigger a return to mask-wearing, a district spokesman confirmed to The Star. After a wave of public pressure to abandon the requirement, the board decided to make masks optional unless 3% of the school population was required to quarantine or isolate.
Optional mask-wearing under the threshold requirement is limited to middle and high schools; mandatory masks remain in place for elementary schools. Classes resumed Wednesday districtwide, and the nine schools that had reportedly met the threshold by the evening were: East, West, North, South and Horizons high schools, as well as Indian Hills, Indian Woods, Trailridge and Westridge middle schools.
The latest guidance for Shawnee Mission schools came as local medical professionals warned that the return from winter break without COVID-19 safety protocols could create a hotbed of infections and greater staff shortages as the latest wave, driven by the highly contagious omicron variant, continues to sweep the region.
Ahead of winter break, the Shawnee Mission school board decided to make masks optional in secondary schools for the new semester. But as the region reports record COVID-19 cases, the board held a special meeting to reconsider the decision on Monday.
The school board adjourned its special session Monday twice as members of the crowd — there to oppose a mask mandate two days before students returned to school — shouted over and interrupted health officials.
After the second time, the audience was removed and the board continued the meeting virtually. The board debated whether to keep the mask mandate at least until Jan. 18 but ultimately voted 4-3 to continue as planned with masks becoming optional for older students.
Officials emphasized that if a school building reports 3% or more of its population is required to quarantine or isolate, the building returns to a mask mandate for at least two weeks.
All districts in Johnson County have now made masks optional for older students, but continue to follow the county health order mandating masks in schools that serve students as old as sixth grade. The Johnson County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to review that health order Thursday morning.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 8:29 PM.
