Breaking News: Masks will be optional for secondary students starting Jan. 3

SMSD announced COVID-19 procedures for winter events at the board meeting on Nov. 15 as well as passing, on a 5-2 decision, to make masks optional for secondary students starting Jan. 3.

Masks are still required for elementary students and for all students while riding the bus. The district encourages anyone who shows COVID-19 symptoms to stay home.

A secondary school building will return to the mask mandate if they reach 3% or greater in the number of students quarantined or excluded. The mask mandate will be in place for a minimum of 14 days and from there, until the number is below 3%.

According to the mitigation presentation shown at the board meeting, the number of high school cases for the past three weeks has been below 10 cases throughout all SMSD secondary schools. The presentation also included a vaccination update for those aged 12-17 in the area, with East’s ZIP code being 79.8% vaccinated.

Indoor winter events, including dances, will be allowed, but the district encourages outdoor events if the weather allows. Outside guests will be permitted past the main entrance starting in January, but are not allowed to visit the cafeteria during lunch. No food or drink is allowed at indoor events during the school day.