Launch the media gallery 1 playerUpdated Face Covering Requirement
November 16, 2020
On November 12th, Governor Mike Parson, the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced modifications to Missouri’s K-12 school reopening and operating guidance.
Under the updated guidance, proper mask wearing may now prevent individuals from being identified as close contacts in K-12 schools that have implemented a mask mandate. This means that if both individuals at school – the person diagnosed with COVID-19 and the person exposed to the positive case – have masks on and are wearing them correctly, the individual exposed does not need to quarantine.
Exposed individuals should self-monitor for symptoms and stay home at the first sign of illness. They should also continue to wear a mask at all times to further reduce the likelihood of transmitting the virus. The person who tests positive for COVID-19 is still required to isolate at home.
Under this new guidance and to help keep students in school, the Nodaway-Holt R-VII School District will require face coverings to be worn at all times by staff and students PK-12. Face coverings may be temporarily removed during recess, lunch, or when instructed by faculty or administration. This requirement will go into effect Wednesday November 18, 7:30 am through the remainder of first semester (December 22). At that time, the District Administration and Board of Education will evaluate the mask mandate and may extend or rescind the requirement.
We realize the mandate may not be popular among the Nodaway-Holt education family, however we want to do everything we can to keep our students and staff safe and provide a quality education in a face to face environment. The mask mandate will eliminate many non-positive quarantines by our students. Home sporting events and activities are still being evaluated and more guidance will be determined at a later date.
For further information on the guidelines, please follow the link below:
