The North Judson-San Pierre School Board will consider a three-week mask mandate during a special meeting Wednesday.
While school officials had hoped to keep masks optional, the school corporation’s COVID-19 numbers increased significantly over the weekend, according to a letter to families from Superintendent Dr. Annette Zupin. That’s left more than 100 students in quarantine and affected entire classrooms, sports teams, and academic teams.
But if a school corporation requires masks, close contacts who don’t have any symptoms don’t have to quarantine. Zupin says that while the school board is aware of the majority of the community’s stance on mask mandates, she feels it gives “students the best chance to continue in-person instruction and participate in extracurricular activities.” And she adds that ignoring the state’s rules is not an option since it could have serious legal ramifications, even though some other schools appear to be doing that.
Zupin plans to ask board members to approve a mask mandate for a period of three weeks, up until fall break, at which point it would be reevaluated. Wednesday’s special North Judson-San Pierre School Board meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the High School Auditorium.
