Masks will no longer be required at Crawfordsville Community Schools, beginning Feb. 28.
Approved Thursday at during a regular board meeting, the recommendation by Superintendent Dr. Scott Bowling to ease COVID-19 restrictions in schools was presented with contingencies in mind.
Masks will become optional, but a “trigger policy” will remain in place. If case numbers within the student body at an individual school reach 1%, per a seven-day rolling average, masks will be required for a period of seven calendar days.
“That’s a long-winded way of saying we (will) go into a mask-optional phase unless cases started to increase in a specific building. If cases increase above the threshold ... we would mask students up for seven days,” Bowling said.
“If you look across the country, states are easing restrictions in recognition that COVID is something we’re going to have to live with. People are starting to think maybe now is the time to re-examine the mask policy,” he added.
The tiered system of masking policies is not new. Facial coverings were optional when school began in August last year, and when case numbers began to rise, this same trigger policy was implemented.
The recommendation came with questions by board members, specifically Kent Minnette, who asked if quarantines would remain mandatory corporation wide if a single school reached the threshold, as state guidelines recommend.
“What I’m actually recommending is building by building. It’s possible that Nicholson could reach that 1% threshold, so we would mask just at Nicholson, basically recognizing the problem there,” Bowling said. “My understanding is ... if it has a mask mandate, that building gets the protection that you’re talking about.”
The threshold has also been adjusted to 1% from 2.5%, as recommended by the district COVID Committee, on which board members Susan Albrecht and Kathy Brown have served.
COVID policies in all schools have been reactive, Bowling said, but 2.5% is seen as “too reactive.”
“One percent, we feel like that’s a number that’s telling us we’re probably going to experience an even higher number (of cases) after that,” he said. “Masking has been a tremendous help, both in keeping COVID numbers down ... and keeping kids in school and out of quarantine. The trigger does provide protection for that, because if it goes over that, we go right back to masks.”
The district joins North Montgomery on the local stage of a 1% threshold, and masking for a period of seven days thereafter. Further developments for Southmont are anticipated at its upcoming public meeting Monday.
Board President Steve McLaughlin was candid when presenting his thoughts on the policy and the growing trend of easing restrictions throughout the country.
“This is the only time of the month when I really wear a mask,” he said. “I think putting an end date on it towards the end of the month is a good compromise. People know it’s coming, and can look forward to the day that they can maybe have a celebration of removing the masks.”
In other business, the board:
• Approved the district calendar for the 2023-24 school year. The calendar is aligned closely with North Montgomery, Southmont and Western Boone as all interact in regional programs, such as West Central Career & Technical Education.
• Approved a title change for former assistant superintendent Dr. Rex Ryker who, as of Thursday, holds the position of associate superintendent with additional responsibilities.
• Approved a signatory authorization on all deposit accounts.
• Approved the hire of Paqxtonne Muncie as Title I assistant at Hose. The board also approved the resignation of Brooklynn Alley, Misty Browning, Shawnda Cornelius and Karen Jurkowski.
