augusta county schools mask policy augusta county schools mask policy

FISHERSVILLE The Augusta County School Board voted unanimously to make masks optional at all grade levels for both staff and students Thursday night at Wilson Memorial High School, which was met with cheers from the packed auditorium. Administrators say theyre hearing the same from other parents. My recommendation to follow recommendation of the CDC is on the basis of following those who are more knowledgeable than I am regarding information on the pandemic.. The testing will at first be offered to only employees and students (with parents' permission), but the school district is open to possibly expanding it to the rest of the community. VERONA Augusta County Public Schools will continue requiring face masks for students and staff at least three more weeks. Subscribe to usat newsleader.com. This huge statewide spike, and the 29schools that were shifted to distance learning in Richmond County, led to the school board's reaffirming its mask mandate Tuesday. A child whose parent has elected that he or she is not subject to a mask mandate should not be required to wear a mask under any policy implemented by a teacher, school, school district, the Department of Educationor any other state authority. Send us your news tip here. All rights reserved. Your cooperation with this change is expectedand appreciated. The Augusta Public Schools will have in-person learning, five days a week. With this vote, students and staff must still wear masks while in school until Feb. 14. The school board voted unanimously Aug. 9 to allow the district to change . AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - Augusta county school board members say they were blind-sided by news out of Richmond over masks in the classrooms. Due to recent in local COVID conditions,the advice of our local health department, and school divisions policies, masks are now mandatory for all students, staff, and visitors. Copyright 2021 WVIR. You have permission to edit this article. Create a commenting profile by providing an email address, password and display name. Athletics DirectorScott McClintock reported that the Georgia High School Association is providing every high school with two automated cameras that will live-stream games online. About 20 minutes into the school. I want to work with every one of you. Official transcripts are required at the time of employment. Below you will find several links to helpful resources for our residents. Kortney joined the 10 News team as a Lynchburg Bureau Reporter in May 2021. Hi, to comment on stories you must create a commenting profile. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"ndsTchhICxLNjF_dxI18aRlyWnQfS.IeNB3Ql0MS2hM-1800-0"}; The Augusta County School Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, status as a veteran, national origin, or disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. "Arlington Public Schools implemented our mask requirement this school year prior to Gov. Need a COVID-19 test? Photo by Atoms on Unsplash. However, in a letter sent to families of students Thursday, Superintendent Eric Bond said masks would be optional for staff Monday as well. It had already been announced that students could go masklessfollowing a vote by the school board in January, but there was some question about whether teachers would still be required to wear masks under requirements fromthe Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the Department of Labor and Industry. When voting to rescind the mask mandate, the Augusta County School Board said it would watch COVID numbers in schools and keep the mandate in place if numbers weren't trending in a good direction. We got to show some force or whatever you need to do to show those people down there to understand that we need to be allowed to make the decision that best suits our kids because we deal with our kids, we deal with the parents, board member Tim Swortzel said. Stay Connected . That rose to 206 the following week, but dropped back to 167 the week of Jan. 31. Milestones were waived in 2020 as a result of the chaos caused by the initial outbreak of COVID-19, and the weight of the test was greatly diminished last year. The CDC released this map of the country, which says how your city or county is doing as far as COVID-19 transmission. Anastasio also said the DOE will require schools to report teacher vaccination status, which will be done anonymously and through a survey. New CDC re-masking guidelines say several Central Virginia areas should bring back masks, Youngkin signs universal license recognition law at Richmond barber shop, National Park Service says never push a slower friend down when escaping a bear, V.D.O.T to conduct lane closures on I-95 north in Henrico, Health Minute: First at-home flu and COVID test authorized. In rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variants after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others, she said. Riverheads High School 19 Howardsville Road Staunton, VA 24401 Phone: (540) 337-1921 Fax: (540) 337-0258. Kids' face masks with Augusta County Schools designs for a. About 20 minutes into the school board meeting Thursday evening, members went into closed session with its legal council. Heritage Pharma plans to start testing Monday, Jan. 24, and families are asked to stay tuned for more details. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). What we in public health and science are worried about is the virus and (how many) potential mutations away we are from a very transmissible virus that has the potential to evade our vaccines in terms of how it protects us from severe disease and death, she said. Click here for "Masks and Safety Protocols". I believe in Jesus Christ. The only vote against the motion was fromBeverley Manor representative Donna Wells, who had tried to amend the motion to extend the mandatory mask policy until Feb. 28. A sign encourages students, teachers and visitors to wear masks at Ladson Elementary School on Aug. 11, 2021. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Again, we are excited to begin the year and look forward to having our students back. The Augusta County School Board voted 5-1 during its annual retreat Thursday to set the date when students and staff can take off their masks, with parameters in place that allow the board members to change its mind if cases persist or legal objections strike down Gov. (844) 698-3261 Free Consultation info@ritchielawfirm.com Case Results Washtenaw County schools opt to keep masks on 'until further notice' . In the last five weeks since students returned from winter break, Augusta County Schools have reported 889 positive cases, the highest five-week total of the school year. People spoke for and against requiring students to wear masks this fall, as the school board previously stated masks would be optional. In numbers reported throughThursday morning, Augusta County was at 87positive cases this week, with 12 of those at Stuarts Draft High School and 11 more at Stuarts Draft Elementary. @NBC29 pic.twitter.com/L8eS6n0bxz. That comes days after Staunton and Waynesboro announced their school divisions will continue to require masks to help with COVID-19 mitigation with no end date set for thosemandates. That is its highest weekly total of the school year. The only instance where county students are required to wear masks is on the school bus because of a federal mandate related to public transportation. Still, theres no doubt this will make for some challenging school environments. Vaccinated teachers and students don't have to wear masks inside school buildings. AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - With the latest surge in COVID cases easing, the Richmond County School System is dropping its mask mandate on campuses starting Tuesday. More:A month since Rosenberg was forced out, Staunton City Council hasn't secured search firm, More:Staunton man pleads guilty to a string of burglaries, gets nearly 10 years in prison. I hope youre on the same side.. The school board is elected, and the current superintendent is Dr. Eric Bond. ", As of its most recent update on Jan. 13, the CDC "recommends universal indoor masking by allstudents (ages 2 years and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.". MORE: Mask Mandates Are Hot Topic at Columbia County School Board Meeting If you need help with the Public File, call 540-512-1558. Welcher, a licensed nurse and mental health professional, said her child in pre-K came home from school last year with remnants of food, moisture and snot from being forced to wear a face-covering for eight hours. Already registered? See Offers. Fennville Public . The delta variant is so very contagious it appears to cause high viral loads even in vaccinated people who become infected.. I anticipated more discussion before we voted.. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) atphite@newsleader.comand follow himon Twitter @Patrick_Hite. This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. Augusta County Schools will become mask-optional in three weeks. More than 300 Augusta County students have tested positive for COVID-19 since school started four weeks ago. We reached out to school leaders all over the region. Simply, we just want our students back everyday and back safely. Another potential headache: the CDC is still recommending schools continue to space kids out and keep their desks three feet apart. Tuesday Columbia County school leaders made their decision on the mask mandate. There is [sic] three reasons why COVID cases are going up. Augusta County Public Schools. The Augusta County School Board held a special session on July 29th to discuss what turned out to be two issues. Between Jan. 4 and 18, Georgia reported over 200,000 new cases, and the map had turned a dark burgundy. "Not seeing facial expressions. Click here for "Masks and Safety Protocols" . Several counties have full mask wearing policies for both on the bus and in the school buildings including: McDuffie County; Richmond County; Warren County; Hancock County; The other CSRA . Do you have a story idea? Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Accommodations will be made for students and employees unable to wear a mask for documented medical reasons. To date, they have distributed 20,230 devices. // VERONA Officials with Augusta County Public Schools have announced that masks won't be required beginning Monday for students, staff and visitors. The numbers have fluctuated within the school division. Afterward, the public spoke and most of the comments were about masks in school. List of Augusta County Public Schools. The school board sent out a letter on July 22 stating the county did not have the legal authority to reject the state-mandated policies. The Augusta County School Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, status as a veteran, national origin, or disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Even though mask mandates will not be enforced inside school, masks will still be required on school buses, as well as for staff members and adults inside the school building. Under the protocol,masks arerequired for allstudents, staff andvisitors to all school districtfacilities and onbuses,regardless of vaccination status. Contact tracing will only be done when there's anoutbreak, which is definedas"10% of a grade level, staff or entire school," per the letter. Northam's K-12 mask mandate, and we will continue to make decisions that prioritize the health, safety . In a retreat Thursday afternoon at the Augusta County Government Center, the school board voted 5-1 to make masks optional in schools beginning Monday, Feb. 14. Copyright 2023 WSLS.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Were gonna have to step back, go by the law, and prove them wrong, Ward said. The 2015 election was the last election for all seven seats to appear on the ballot at the same time. I feel like its the parents decision. Augusta County Public Schools reported on its dashboard that the week of Jan. 9 it had 236 total cases of COVID, including 209 among students. Masks will return to Augusta County schools this fall. The main issue was the recent Commonwealth decision that all schools needed to have a non-discrimination policy in place in regards to transgender students. The Governor also stated, "K-12 school districts and charter schools still maintain the right to institute and enforce policies to mitigate against COVID-19 spread including the use of masks." Rules for school Masks have been mandated for all students, staff and visitors at all Richmond County School System facilities and on school buses, regardless of vaccination status. Glenn Youngkin's executive order that made their decision possible. : Plenty of Augusta-area locations offer them, More: At-home COVID test website launches early. While Aiken County has lifted mandatory mask mandates inside its schools, Richmond County says for now it won't be changing any of its mask or social distancing guidelines. We have always tried to be non-political. All rights reserved. Log in to join the discussion. He shared the letter from the pediatricians at the board meeting. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Kelly F. Troxell Ed.D., Executive Director of Personnel (540) 245-5107, Douglas W. Shifflett, Jr. The opportunity to grow professionally is evident there. This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendation., RELATED: New CDC guidelines call for masks in schools K-12. nations top public health agency says vaccinated teachers and students can ditch the mask. 2022, 12:02 p.m. Paula Gentile helps out as a substitute in Tana Spelman's class at Bishop Elementary in Augusta . Ensure that the phone number is not blocked in phone settings. Studentswill be permitted to remove masksduring lunch and while outside. You are muzzling our children. Mask Policy Due to recent in local COVID conditions, the advice of our local health department, and school divisions policies, masks are now mandatory for all students, staff, and visitors. Welcher said the number of cases did not show a need for further mask mandates in schools as students return five days a week for in-person instruction. Published: Jan. 20, 2022 at 7:43 PM PST. AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The rise in COVID cases is also a concern for our local school districts. Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration. Copyright 2023 Augusta County Public Schools. Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved. Bradshaw said they are not putting an end-date on theprotocol, but that they are continuing to monitor the latest data and consult with experts on the necessary way to proceed. Get notified when the ePaper has been delivered (requires subscription), Augusta Public Schools to enforce mask wearing for all students, staff, visitors, Augusta Public School Board pursues pool testing for reducing pandemic requirements.