The Lake County School Board in a special meeting today voted unanimously in favor of Superintendent Diane Kornegay’s proposal to require masks in schools where 5 percent or more of students and staff test positive for COVID-19. Parents who do not want their children to wear a mask would be allowed to opt-out of the requirement.
Kornegay has called this amendment to the district’s safety protocols “a risk-based, data-driven system that allows for a targeted rather than a sweeping approach.”
On the last school day of each week, starting tomorrow (9/10/2021), data will be compiled from the current and previous weeks’ reports of positive cases.
Any school where fewer than 3 percent of the school population tests positive will be categorized as “Green.” The district will continue to encourage students and staff at these schools to wear a mask and follow all other precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Schools where 3 to 4.99 percent of students and staff test positive will be identified as “Yellow.” Cases in these schools will be closely monitored, cleaning protocols will be increased, the use of desk shields in classrooms will be encouraged, and the district will continue to strongly encourage masks.
Schools where 5 percent or more of the school population test positive will be classified as “Red.” Students, parents and staff will be notified and informed that masks will be required when everyone returns to school on Monday. Masks are to be worn indoors and on school buses, regardless of vaccination status, unless the parent has opted out of the requirement, which can be done online by checking the appropriate box in the student’s Skyward account or by sending a note to the school.
Schools will stay “Red” until their percent of staff and students testing positive for COVID-19 drops below 5 percent and those rates are maintained for a period of 14 calendar days. The “Red” school will then move to “Yellow” or “Green.”
