Mandatory indoor masking would cease on Jan. 18, 2022 in the North Allegheny School District if Gov. Tom Wolf follows through on his promise to return mask-wearing decisions to local school authorities.

The NA school board voted 5-4 on Dec. 8 to change district policy so that mask wearing would be strongly recommended in the district but not required as of Jan. 18.

It would take effect one day after Wolf’s Jan. 17 target date of returning mask-wearing decisions affecting students in kindergarten through grade 12 to local school officials.

Masks, though, would still be required on school buses.

The NA board’s vote came after more than two hours of public comment during an online meeting.

Voting to ease the masking mandate were Republicans Libby Blackburn, Richard McClure, Marcie Crow, Shannon Yeakel and Dr. Vidya Szymkowiak.

Voting in opposition were Democrats Leslie Britton Dozier, Paige Hardy, Kevin Mahler and Elizabeth Warner.

NA School Superintendent Dr. Melissa Friez stated that as of Dec. 8, some 77% of high school students were fully vaccinated and an estimated 53% middle school students, though she noted that, due to their age, some sixth-graders were only recently approved for vaccination.

Also, 96% of the staff is vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated elementary students range from less than 1% at Hosack to 4.11% at Ingomar. Families are not required to share vaccination status with the district.

Szymkowiak, who took her seat on the board this month, noted the elementary vaccination rates reflect students who only had one shot so far, as vaccinations for ages 5 to 11 were approved in late October, and she believes that this rate will have a notable increase.

NA has held six vaccination clinics since last year and intends to hold another after the winter break, Friez said.

The NA policy passed in September requires masking for all persons indoors if Allegheny County is at a high or substantial rate of covid transmission even if the state’s mandate is lifted. This applies to even vaccinated persons. Masking would be optional for students and staff if the county is in low transmission.

Blackburn said she believes positive covid case rates should be monitored only in North Allegheny limits, not Allegheny County as a whole, and that it should be left up to families to decide whether to mask.

“I truly, truly like health decisions to be a parent’s choice,” she said.

New board member Hardy, who opposed dropping the mandatory masking requirement, noted that the current plan allows for masks to become optional when the transmission level is lower in Allegheny County, which is not yet the case. Dropping masking “too soon (is) too big of a risk.”

School board opponents of the measure indicated that without masks, quarantining could increase or cause school closures due to high case counts.

If someone is considered in close contact with a positive individual who is 6 feet or less away or for at least 15 minutes, quarantining can be excused if students are all masked.

Fully vaccinated students considered to be in close contact with a positive case also can be excused from quarantining as well as those who have had covid within the past 90 days and are asymptomatic, according to the NA Health and Safety plan.

Positive covid cases do have to quarantine.

Britton Dozier stated that masks and vaccines help stop the spread, which in turn will help keep students in school.

Mahler noted the current masking policy was passed with bi-partisan support and and masking has kept students in school full-time for this school year.

“Optional masking is likely to break that record,” he said.

Szymkowiak, after reviewing data from the Allegheny County Health Department, indicated that overall, she felt that North Allegheny was in a better position today regarding high-risk individuals and the availability of vaccinations. She said the health department recommends masking but doesn’t mandate it even though it has the power to do so. She also said data is different in Allegheny County from September, and that she will use the health department’s most current data to make her decision.

Board President Rick McClure said it helps that the formerly at-risk population now can be vaccinated and NA’s climbing vaccination rate of close to 80 percent will mean fewer quarantines or closures. Also, this being prior to the next school quarter, parents can choose whether to have their children taught online or remain in class.

“Timing is critical. Parents can now be empowered to make decisions going forward,” he said.

As of Dec. 8, the NA Covid tracker includes positive cases among 445 students and 78 staff since the start of the school year.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is deciding a case whether acting state Health Secretary Alison Beam had the authority to order mandatory masking in schools. Last month, the Commonwealth Court ruled that Beam did not have the authority to issue the August order requiring anyone entering a school building to wear a mask. Instead, the court found that Beam was required to follow state rule-making procedures.

The administration appealed to the state Supreme Court. The appeal had the effect of keeping the current state mandate in place pending a ruling by the state’s highest court. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Dec. 8.

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