Palisades Charter's Spiking COVID-19 Rate Triggers Mask Requirement

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — With nearly one percent of students and staff testing positive for COVID-19 at Palisades Charter High School following spring break, masks are, once again, required indoors.

School officials announced the temporary policy change, noting "testing has revealed that there has been a significant increase in positive COVID-19 tests in our PCHS community." Palisades Charter High School had one of the higher positivity rates in the district this week. Most Los Angeles Unified schools did not hit the threshold triggering a resumption of indoor mask requirements.

The school's positivity rate is currently 0.7 percent — 0.2 percent more than the threshold for the indoor mask mandate.

Students and staff will be required to wear mass indoors until, at least, April 29. If the positivity rate falls below 0.5 percent at that time, Palisades students and teachers can ditch their masks again. If the rate exceeds 1.5 percent, masks will be required campus-wide, both indoors and outdoors.

"We all hope this never becomes necessary, but wanted to remind you all of this possibility," according to the school's message.

The masking requirement hinges upon the positivity rate of 0.5 percent because of the district's labor contract with the teachers' union, United Teachers Los Angeles.

School-based outbreaks have been climbing throughout the county in April as masking requirements eased and the Omicon variant BA.2 spreads in Los Angeles.

With classes back in session, the county plans to operate 171 school- based vaccination clinics this week, offering pediatric doses for those aged 5- 11 and regular doses and boosters for those 12 and older.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.