Coronavirus: A Canyon County school district votes to require masks in schools
The Middleton School District’s Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to require students and staff to wear masks or face coverings anytime a group cannot distance themselves at school.
Trustees voted 4-0 during a meeting Monday to enact the requirement, which took effect immediately, according to a news release from the school district.
The mask requirement was discussed during a meeting on Oct. 12, but the board did not vote on a requirement then. Monday’s vote has now set the mandate in place.
Middleton students in grades K-5 and Middleton Academy returned to fully in-person classes on Monday. Middle and high school students are scheduled to move to in-person learning on Nov. 16.
Currently, middle and high school students are on a hybrid schedule, meaning they have in-person classes two days a week and have virtual learning for the other three.
During the meeting Monday, a parent in attendance asked the board what would happen if a child came to school without a mask. Board chairman Kirk Adams said the student would be sent home.
“The face covering requirement is an effort to keep the schools open,” trustee Jake Dempsey said during the meeting. “An opinion is not going to supersede the standard. We hope the community understands. It is to keep the schools operating at 100 percent for all students.”
Idaho hospitalizations keep rising, 12 new deaths reported
Coronavirus hospitalizations hit an all-time high on Monday, as there were 272 people with the virus in hospitals around Idaho, according to the Department of Health and Welfare.
The new hospitalization numbers were published shortly after Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced that the state would be moved back to Stage 3 restrictions, which puts limits on the number of people allowed in gatherings and requires masks to be worn in long-term care facilities.
Idaho health officials reported 704 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, as well as 113 new probable cases.
Idaho’s seven-day moving average of daily cases moved to a record-setting high: 898.
In addition to the newly reported cases, the state reported 12 coronavirus-related deaths. Of those deaths, four were reported in Ada County.
As of Monday, 581 Idahoans have died because of the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
For Monday’s new cases, Ada County reported 142. The county’s total is now up to 14,571, most in the state.
Numerous counties reported double-digit case totals on Monday, including Canyon (56 new), Latah (43), Nez Perce (54), Idaho (22), Bannock (65), Bingham (13), Kootenai (44), Bonneville (49), Jefferson (15), Lemhi (15), Madison (48), Twin Falls (35), Cassia (13) and Minidoka (18).
As of Monday, there were 53,046 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Idaho, as well as 7,195 probable cases. The Department of Health and Welfare estimate that 28,309 people have recovered from the virus.
Health and Welfare reported that 373,337 people have been tested for the coronavirus in Idaho as of Friday, with around 14.2% of those tested returning positive.
Community spread has been found in all Idaho counties except Adams.
Coronavirus cases have been confirmed in all of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 14,571, Adams 51, Bannock 1,737, Bear Lake 66, Benewah 167, Bingham 1,246, Blaine 820, Boise 61, Bonner 432, Bonneville 3,519, Boundary 67, Butte 82, Camas 34, Canyon 9,158, Caribou 200, Cassia 1,241, Clark 33, Clearwater 122, Custer 84, Elmore 378, Franklin 292, Fremont 435, Gem 367, Gooding 442, Idaho 346, Jefferson 795, Jerome 929, Kootenai 3,803, Latah 901, Lemhi 192, Lewis 75, Lincoln 160, Madison 2,236, Minidoka 1,085, Nez Perce 762, Oneida 46, Owyhee 356, Payette 972, Power 308, Shoshone 260, Teton 256, Twin Falls 3,445, Valley 108, Washington 406.
