Dolton 149 Schools Move to Mask Optional

(Calumet City, IL) – South suburban Dolton School District 149 has lifted its mask mandate for students and staff and, in its place, has implemented a mask optional policy, starting on Monday, March 21.

The Dolton 149 Board of Education gave the greenlight to the new mask optional policy at its regular monthly board meeting last week, March 16.

The board’s president, Rayya Ghani, welcomed the move, pointing to a “dramatic decline “in COVID19 cases.

“Like elsewhere in Illinois, in suburban Cook County and in our local community we have seen a dramatic decline in the transmission of COVID19 cases, which informed our decision to move to a mask optional policy,” said Ghani. “We welcome the mask optional policy as another step in our return to a normal learning environment in Dolton 149 schools.”

Any dramatic change or increase of the positivity rate will result in reconsideration of the policy, Ghani stressed.

The elementary school district, which has approximately 2,270 students, will maintain its voluntary, on-site COVID testing option through the end of the school year for students whose parents have authorized the weekly test opportunity, Ghani noted.

“While we have been turning a corner on COVID19, COVID19 remains in the community, though at significantly lower levels, and we want our voluntary testing program to remain open to parents who wish to have their children tested regularly,” said Ghani. “We are committed to helping our students and families remain healthy.”

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