With the 2021-22 school year approximately a month away, the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education offered recommendations to parents and schools in a statement, in order to safely prepare for the return of in-person instruction.
One recommendation is for children ages 12 and older, as well as others who live in the same household, to get their COVID-19 vaccinations, as it is “the best protection against the virus, according to Acting Secretary of Health Allison Beam.
Another recommendation is for school districts to follow current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to the greatest extent possible when creating health and safety plans. Those plans are a requirement by The American Rescue Plan Act and the U.S. Department of Education.
Area school districts are either in the process of molding a health and safety plan, while others are making final revisions.
One final recommendation is the constant use of masks. The CDC says that individuals age two or older who are not fully vaccinated should wear masks at all times while indoors, as consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is “especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained.”
Schools may adopt stricter mask policies and each school district must include a locally-determined face covering policy in its health and safety plan. The Indiana Area School District is set to discuss its policy on face coverings tonight at its board meeting.
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