Greater Latrobe, Greensburg Salem to comply with Pennsylvania's K-12 mask mandate

Students, staff and visitors entering Greater Latrobe and Greensburg Salem school buildings will be required to wear face coverings beginning Tuesday.

In a letter posted on the Greater Latrobe website, Superintendent Georgia Teppert said that district will make a change from its recent mask-optional health and safety plan and will comply with the K-12 mask mandate for schools announced by Alison Beam, Pennsylvania’s acting health secretary.

Under that order, masks are required indoors — whether or not a person has received a covid-19 vaccine.

In a similar online posting, Acting Superintendent Ken Bissell said Greensburg Salem also will follow the state order and will shift from a mask-optional policy to the mask mandate.

“We understand that many people are upset over the mandate,” Bissell wrote. “Please know that the decision was not the decision of the Greensburg Salem faculty, staff or school board.”

He said district officials and staff “are required to adhere to the mandate, regardless of their personal feelings.”

Some parents urged the Greensburg Salem School Board at its Wednesday meeting to stick with its mask-optional plan and defy the state order.

Face covering breaks will occur throughout the school day at Greater Latrobe, according to Teppert. She noted face coverings aren’t required when a student is participating in a sports practice or event, whether indoors or outdoors.

According to the state order, masks need not be worn if they would obstruct a student from playing a musical instrument or would cause or exacerbate a medical condition.

A face covering also isn’t required when the ability to see one’s mouth is essential for communicating with someone who is hearing-impaired or has another disability.

In July, the Greater Latrobe board voted 6-3 to approve a mask-optional policy for those inside district buildings, but Teppert had noted that plan could change.

A proposal by board members to require masks only in grades K-6 was defeated in a 4-4-1 vote on Aug. 25.

Pennsylvania’s mask mandate, announced on Aug. 31, also applies to early learning programs and child care facilities.

Gov. Tom Wolf initially left the decision on masking policies for the current academic year to local school boards. But, with the announcement of the mandate, he expressed concern about the rising covid case counts among children both locally and across the country.