Starting Tuesday, Feb. 22, masks will no longer be required in all Goshen Community Schools. That’s after the Indiana Department of Health released new COVID-19 guidance for schools Thursday.
The district will also stop contact tracing and reporting cases to the state. Students and staff will no longer have to quarantine, but if someone tests positive, they’ll have to stay out of school for at least five days.
That person can return on day six if their symptoms are gone or improving, and they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours. It’s recommended that they still wear a mask until day 11.
GCS has required masks for all students since Sept. 9. Masks have been required for K-6 students since Aug. 23, and for all staff and visitors since Aug. 12.
The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation announced it would drop its mask mandate earlier this week. The district moved to a mask-optional policy Thursday.
And on Thursday, The Berrien County Health Department changed its COVID-19 guidance from “mask recommended” to “mask optional,” including in K-12 schools.
Per federal guidelines, masks will still be mandatory on school buses until at least March 18.
Contact Gemma at gdicarlo@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @gemma_dicarlo.
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