LINDEN — North Montgomery Community School Corp. will not require masks in school buildings or at after-school events for the upcoming school year under the state’s current guidance, the district announced Friday.
In a letter to parents, superintendent Dr. Colleen Moran said the decision was made after the Indiana State Department of Health had not issued a mask mandate for schools in the 2021-22 academic year as of the end of the week.
Indiana’s mask order for schools (as well as state buildings) ends on June 30. Gov. Eric Holcomb left it up to local schools to decide whether to continue mask orders or adopt other restrictions for their districts.
At North Montgomery, students, staff and visitors will have the option of wearing a mask if they wish or are not vaccinated.
Under federal guidelines, masks are still required on school buses and other public transportation.
“We will continue to monitor state and federal guidance to determine if this order still applies at the start of school,” Moran wrote in the letter to parents.
North Montgomery joins a growing list of Indiana school districts announcing plans to not require masks for the new school year. Center Grove and Westfield Washington Schools were among the first districts to drop their mask mandates.
At Crawfordsville, superintendent Dr. Scott Bowling said Thursday he hopes to bring recommendations on COVID-19 policies, including whether to require masks, to the board in July.
South Montgomery had not publicly announced a decision on masks as of early Friday evening.
