Boise School District will lift mask mandate early. Here’s when it will take effect
Students and staff in the Boise School District will not have to wear masks in the classroom starting Tuesday, March 8.
The school board on Monday voted unanimously to adopt a new policy that recommends masks for those who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine and makes them optional for those who are vaccinated.
The change comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month updated its guidelines for determining COVID-19 community levels. Ada County last week moved to the medium category, according to the CDC’s guidelines, which removed the mask recommendation for most people.
The Boise School District had originally planned to lift its mandate March 28, at the start of the fourth quarter. Trustees said last month that date would give families who weren’t comfortable with the change the chance to enroll in Boise Online School at the start of the new quarter.
During the meeting Monday, trustees acknowledged the tense debates over mask mandates and said they have heard from parents on both sides.
“I think that now is the right time for us to choose to go mask optional, being aware that there are people who disagree with that position and their position is absolutely valid for their family,” Trustee Steve Schmidt said. “I guess it’s with conflicted feelings that I would support this.”
Trustees also noted how quickly transmission levels have shifted throughout the pandemic, and said the district and county is in a different place than it was when trustees voted last month to make masks optional starting in late March.
“We’ve been doing this for a couple of years now and things can shift on a dime,” Trustee Beth Oppenheimer said. “It’s amazing to see how the cases have really come down and so I do feel like that we are in a safe place right now to be able to do this.”
District to adopt new safety plan in late March
The district will still keep other COVID-19 protocols in place, and will not adopt the rest of the protocols in its updated health and safety plan until March 28.
On that date, the district will return the visitor and volunteer protocols and school activities it had before the COVID-19 pandemic and implement the district’s illness procedure guidelines. The illness guidelines detail when students should stay home based on certain symptoms, and note someone may return to school based on health care providers’ instructions.
The district has seen a significant decline in the COVID-19 cases it has reported in recent weeks. During the week of Feb. 28, the district reported 16 cases. The district reported more than 900 positive cases during the week of Jan. 17.
The Boise School District was one of the last in Idaho still requiring masks. Most other districts in the Treasure Valley, including West Ada, made masks optional before winter break.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 2:52 PM.
