Masks are no longer required for students and staff within the USD 470 Ark City school district.
The Ark City school board approved revised COVID-19 protocols Monday night during its regularly-scheduled meeting and the changes took effect Tuesday.
Masks are required to be worn on school buses and any other district vehicle, due to federal mandates.
The updated plan allows for masking to be optional until 10 percent (or more) of an individual school’s population is impacted by COVID-19, the district stated in a Facebook post.
This COVID-19 impact number is calculated by taking the total number of students/staff who are COVID-positive, close contacts who are eligible for “Test to Stay,” and close contacts who are quarantined and dividing that number by the total number of students and staff in that building.
Staff, families, and community members can monitor each building’s COVID-19 impact level by visiting our COVID-19 Dashboard at https://bit.ly/3AZiJSs.
The plan allows students and staff members who have been exposed in the school setting to receive a rapid test each day in order to stay in school instead of automatically having to quarantine.
“While we know there is no single solution that will please everyone, we are hopeful this will help us to keep more students in school while also continuing to provide a layered approach to health and safety,” the district stated.
