Need a mask? A breakdown of COVID-19 protocols for Treasure Valley school districts
School districts are preparing for yet another semester under the threat of COVID-19 and the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.
Many local school districts, including West Ada and Caldwell, removed mask mandates in the fall or never implemented such a requirement. But some school districts have more stringent policies around contact tracing or other protocols if schools start to see an uptick in cases.
Here are the latest COVID-19 policies for some of the Treasure Valley’s largest districts.
Boise School District
Boise School District’s board of trustees voted on Dec. 13 to continue to mandate masks in classrooms and planned to revisit the requirement mid-February. The district remains one of the last in Idaho to have a mask mandate.
The district uses a “decision tree” for those who have been exposed to the virus or exhibit COVID-19 symptoms to follow. A decision tree helps guide both district officials and parents on what course of action to take should a student or faculty member be exposed to COVID-19 or develop symptoms.
Those who have either tested positive or been exposed to someone who has but doesn’t exhibit symptoms are recommended to quarantine for seven to 14 days if not fully vaccinated or three to five days if vaccinated followed by 14 days of wearing a mask. Individuals who exhibit symptoms are asked to isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms.
The district began to offer free rapid antigen testing and PCR testing for students and staff in December through a grant with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Testing is available at the Grace Jordan Community Center, and participants must register online before being tested for the first time.
Caldwell School District
Caldwell School District changed its mask policy in November from required to “recommended.” All visitors to schools and district facilities are still required to wear a mask.
The district’s board of trustees is set to meet on Monday, when it plans to discuss its mask policy, spokesperson Jessica Watts told the Statesman by email.
As part of an extensive COVID-19 plan produced by the district, students and drivers are only recommended to wear a mask while on school buses, despite a public health order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requiring face masks on public transport.
The district uses the Southwest District Health decision tree for COVID-19 cases. If a student exhibits symptoms in school, they are immediately provided a mask and taken to an isolation room until picked up by a caregiver. Any areas the student occupied will be sanitized.
If more than 10% of students and staff are absent, district officials will begin contact tracing. If more than 20% of students and staff are absent, the district will review district protocols which may include requiring masks and remote learning.
Kuna School District
Kuna School District did not enter the 2021 school year with any mask or quarantine policies, but it does follow a decision tree. The tree allows for a shorter amount of time away from school if a student is exposed but tests negative.
Currently, the city is in the “red” zone for COVID-19 spread, which means a student that develops symptoms is either required to take a COVID-19 test or isolate for 10 days from the time of the symptoms began. If Kuna is in the “green” or “yellow” zone, students may return to school once fever free for 24 hours without the help of medication.
Any student that tests positive must isolate for 10 days and report a positive test to the school nurse.
Kuna School District also offers free rapid testing for staff and students through a grant from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Testing is available for individuals who have shown symptoms for at least 24 hours but no longer than five days.
The district reviews its positive cases data every two weeks and makes decisions on mask wearing and other protocols determined by the decision tree. The next decision-making review is Jan. 14.
Nampa School District
Nampa School District also did not have any mask mandates or quarantine policies heading into the school year and plans to continue that policy into the spring.
“We do encourage staff members to vaccinate and families to notify the school if their child is ill,” Nampa School District spokesperson Kathleen Tuck told the Statesman. “We also discourage students and staff from coming to school when they are ill.”
The district’s Back to School plan heading into the 2021 fall semester stated that the school year “is to operate as close to normal as possible.”
Students are not required to socially distance, but the district’s custodial service will sanitize “common touch surfaces” at least twice a week.
Students who test positive for COVID-19 are advised to remain home for at least 10 days after the illness’ onset, and the school will notify parents of positive cases. If an outbreak affects 3% of the student body in that school, district administrators will reach out to local health officials for their guidance.
West Ada School District
West Ada School District trustees unanimously approved moving to a mask-optional policy following Thanksgiving break, and that decision will remain in place for the spring semester. Visitors to schools will also not be required to wear a mask.
West Ada will continue to follow the CDC’s public health order on wearing masks on public transportation, which means students will require masks on school buses.
The district also does not plan on tracking school-based exposure — a form of contact tracing that tracks whether students were exposed to COVID-19 by another student in the classroom. The practice was removed from the district’s guidelines in October.
Although the district is not tracking school-based exposure or requiring COVID-19 vaccines, it encourages students to isolate for 10 days if they test positive or to quarantine until symptoms have improved for 72 hours.
West Ada also offers free rapid testing at its district office, 1303 E Central Dr., Meridian, Monday through Thursday.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
