Howard-Suamico School District now requiring masks for kindergarten through sixth grade

SUAMICO - The Howard-Suamico School District, citing 33 positive COVID-19 cases, 457 students in quarantine and students in six classrooms sent home due to high virus activity on Friday, has shifted course and is implementing a mask mandate for students in kindergarten through sixth grade starting Monday.

The mask requirement applies to the same grade level of students who are not eligible yet for the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is not yet approved for children ages 5-11. Masks for seventh through 12th graders are still optional, as these students are old enough to be vaccinated.

This temporary requirement will remain in place for the remainder of the first quarter, until Nov. 4. 

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An email alerting parents to this change was sent out around 5:30 p.m. Friday. Additional information can be found at the district's COVID-19 dashboard.

"At this time, a face covering requirement rather than recommendation at our K-6 schools better supports our goal of keeping students learning in-person at school," said the district statement.

In the email, the district also cites new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quarantine guidance that allows for less-strict contact tracing when exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual happens in a fully masked environment at school.

A fully masked environment will allow the district to quarantine far fewer students and keep more students learning in school in-person if an individual at school tests positive for COVID-19.

The district had started the school year giving students and staff the option to wear face coverings. Masks are considered a prevention to the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus.

According to the email, the decision is based on the following factors, presented to the School Board and monitored daily by district administration:

• Howard-Suamico School District case trends:  As of Friday, the district has 33 students reporting positive COVID-19 test results, compared with 19 positive cases a year ago at this time. 
• As of Friday, the district had 457 students in quarantine due to close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual at school, compared with 75 students in quarantine at the same time last year.
• Classroom closures: As of Friday, six Howard-Suamico district classrooms have been closed due to COVID-19 exposure at school with students and staff shifting to temporary virtual learning. That equals the total for the entire month of September last year.