Boise School District will continue its mask mandate for now. Here’s what changed
Students and staff in the Boise School District will have to keep their masks on in the classroom for a while longer.
The district’s Board of Trustees on Monday night heard from two doctors and an official from Central District Health, who all advised the district continue to mandate masks in the classroom. The experts pointed to the new omicron variant and high levels of virus transmission in the Treasure Valley.
Administration officials recommended to the board they keep the district’s current protocols in place and revisit the mask mandate in mid-February. The recommendation to maintain the district’s current policy required no action from the board.
District officials also said they would continue to monitor the data, offer vaccination clinics and develop a more robust optional testing program. The district will also work to move from a “pandemic plan to an endemic plan.”
Board members said they understand keeping the mask mandate in place is a decision that will upset many people. But they also said they would continue to listen to the experts, follow the data and do what they believe is best for the district.
“I’m frustrated. I know all these people are frustrated. I know our staff is frustrated and I know our students are frustrated,” Board President Dave Wagers said. “We do pay attention, and it is heart wrenching from both sides. … There is no perfect answer, and anything we do we will make half the people mad.”
The decision to continue to mandate masks comes after a presentation was posted to the district’s YouTube account last week. In the presentation, administration officials recommended that the board consider moving to a mask-recommended policy for unvaccinated students and staff and a mask-optional policy for those who are vaccinated against COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The administration gave different options for implementation of the policy, including one as early as Jan. 10, when students return after winter break.
The district also posted a Dec. 2 letter from Dr. Kenny Bramwell from St. Luke’s Health System and Dr. Mark Nassir from Saint Alphonsus Medical Group, who wrote they would support the district’s “consideration of ‘masks recommended’ when students and staff return to school after the holiday break.”
During the board meeting Monday, Deputy Superintendent Lisa Roberts noted things can shift quickly during a pandemic.
“Last week … we believed there was compelling evidence, including support from our local health professionals, that the board could consider making masks optional, as early as the return from winter break on Jan. 10,” she said. “Tonight’s presentation, however, is going to look different than what was shared last week … due to information we received last night from the local health professionals.”
‘A pivot’ to COVID-19 outlook, health experts say
Bramwell said when he and Nassir started writing the Dec. 2 letter, things were heading in the right direction. Crisis standards of care, which allowed providers to ration health care based on patients’ likelihood of survival, had been deactivated in the region. Vaccines had also recently been made available to kids ages 5-11 and COVID-19 cases were dropping in the community.
“Things were very different at that time,” Bramwell said. “We were coming out of crisis standards of care. It looked like things might be calming down. And as COVID has done over and over, there was a pivot, a change in the wind, a new variant and a new set of problems.”
Since then, COVID-19 cases have been plateauing at hospitals and in the community, experts said. The omicron variant has also been detected in Idaho. Although little is known about the new variant, it is thought to be very contagious, experts said. There is limited data on its severity.
Health experts said the recommendation to keep masks in place was an effort to prevent another surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
“I think we all are a little bit concerned about what we’re seeing, not maybe yet so much in Idaho but nationwide with increasing cases,” said Rob Howarth from Central District Health. “And I think we are definitely in favor of trying to do what we can to minimize having another spike, if that’s where we’re headed.”
In the Boise School District, COVID-19 cases have been largely declining since September. The district reported 34 positive cases of COVID-19 during the week of Dec. 6, down significantly from its September peak when it reported 168 cases in one week. During the week of Nov. 29, the district reported 49 cases. The week of Nov. 15, prior to Thanksgiving break, the district reported 41 cases.
COVID-19 transmission levels in Ada County remain high, according to Central District Health.
Boise one of few Idaho districts left with mask mandates
The Boise School District is one of the last in Idaho to have a mask mandate in place.
In recent months, the West Ada and Caldwell school districts moved to make masks optional for students and staff. Both school districts pointed to the availability of vaccines for kids ages 5-11 as a primary reason they felt comfortable dropping the mandate. According to the most recent data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, 12% of kids in Idaho ages 5-11 have received one vaccine dose.
Mask mandates for months have caused tension in school districts. Parents who have pushed for mask-optional policies have argued they have a right to choose what health protocols their kids follow. Parents who fought for a mask mandate have said they are a key tool to keep their kids and communities safe.
At the board meeting Monday, several parents attended dressed in yellow to show their support for mask-optional policies. They clapped to show their support when officials discussed other school districts moving to mask-optional policies.
Board members said they had received emails from parents both for and against a mandate. They said they appreciated the parents who had engaged with the district and sent emails and comments, but there was no way to make everyone happy.
“There is no one right answer for every child in the district, because the answer that’s right for my child is actually harmful for someone else’s child,” Trustee Steve Schmidt said. “So I think it’s, it’s an incredibly difficult decision that we have to make. … Half of the constituents are going to be disappointed, because it’s the wrong decision for their family or their child.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 8:40 AM.
