The main reason that we decided to have a face covering requirement when 6 feet social distance is not an option was due to the new DHM from Governor Ricketts that has a 6 feet separation rule and face covering requirement for indoor gatherings. While the DHM does not specifically mention schools, it does mention indoor gatherings which are defined as a meeting of people for a specific purpose. As a school district we looked at certain classes, along with hallway passing times, as a gathering where we could not assure 6 feet of separation which happens in the hallway and in certain classrooms where social distancing is not attainable due to the size of the room and the class size. This is the requirement that we are working to achieve during the DHM timeline of November 11 to November 30. We will reevaluate at that time.
Students are not required to wear the face covering when they can 6 feet social distance in a classroom setting. This can be achieved in most of the classrooms with a majority of all classes.
Students are not required to wear any face coverings outdoors.
Teachers also have been instructed to be flexible and give the option for any student to socially distance in the back of the room or go outside and get some fresh air as long as it is not a continual hindrance to the learning environment.
Students are grouped for lunch.
They sit with peers that have the same activities as them, which will avoid quarantining a large number of students if someone tests positive.
Also, our kids eat fast!! Routinely, they arrive at the lunchroom around 12:10 pm with masks on through the line, get their food, sit down and eat around 12:12-12:15, and they are out of the lunch room by 12:25 pm.
Throughout the first two days of the DHM requirement, our 6-12 students and staff have done a fantastic job of following these rules and requirements. There have been limited complaints and limited issues from our students. One student said, “I am not sure if the masks work or not, but if we can avoid having a school closure or avoid a big quarantine because of them then I will wear them. I do not want to go back to remote learning.” Another student said, “I am not sure why people are so upset that we (Mullen) are finally required to wear masks. I have friends in other schools who have been doing this since the beginning of school in August.” The students are taking this requirement seriously and they are adapting to something that is quite a bit out of the norm. Our students want to stay in school and they want to participate in their activities. 2020 has not been the year we have all wanted it to be, and we have had to deal with so much uncertainty throughout these unprecedented times.
Common misconceptions and frequently asked questions:
Does my student have to wear a mask all day long? No, they will have plenty of opportunities to take their mask off when 6 feet of separation is allowed in a variety of classroom settings.
Does my student have to wear a mask outside? No, this is an indoor directed health measure
When would my student have to quarantine? A quarantine can be issued by a health district if a student was in close contact for 15 accumulative minutes with a Covid-19 positive person in a 24 hour period. Close contact is defined at within 6 feet of someone. A quarantine lasts for 14 days after the last contact with the positive person.
If my student is wearing a face covering or social distanced from a positive person, would they have to quarantine? No, as long as the positive person was wearing a face covering, they would only have to self monitor unless they were in 6 feet of separation/social distance. If the positive person was not wearing a face covering, everyone who was in close contact will be forced to quarantine. If they were in 6 feet of separation or social distanced, they would not have been a close contact of the Covid-19 positive person.
Can my student get a medical waiver due to a medical issue as they cannot wear a mask? Yes. Parents need to get a medical directive from their child's healthcare provider stating the child has a known medical or mental health condition or other disability and can't wear a face covering during school or needs other accommodations, if there are no current accommodations on file with the school already. The medical professional will need to complete the MPS mask exemption form. It is on the website in the pandemic plan folder.
Is a mask requirement unconstitutional? No, in a public health emergency such as a pandemic, state and local governments have ample authority to protect the health of the general public in indoor spaces. Read more here: https://www.acslaw.org/expertforum/face-covering-requirements-and-the-constitution/
Why was a face covering requirement put in place when the MPS Pandemic plan stated otherwise? When the Pandemic Plan committee first developed the plan, the committee stated that the plan could change and most likely would change. With the new statewide directed health measure released Wednesday, the district decided to move forward to comply with the new measure. On Wednesday night, the Pandemic Plan committee had a two hour meeting and updated the plan to meet the current status of our county and our state. The committee took into account several parental concerns and proposed changes to try and meet the needs of all MPS stakeholders while maintaining the safety of the students and staff. This new update will be released on Monday morning.
We are hopeful that this information can combat some common misconceptions and answer some frequently asked questions. If you would like more information, please contact the school.