The Abington School District Will Address Its Health & Safety Plan During Special Meeting

ABINGTON, PA — Abington School Board directors plan to address a revised health and safety plan for the district during an upcoming special meeting.

The board says the purpose of the meeting, scheduled for Jan. 18 at 7 p.m., is to approve an updated school district health and safety plan, authorize submission of the plan to the state's Department of Education, and other potential district business.

The meeting will take place at the school district administration building, located at 970 Highland Avenue.

A district spokesperson told Patch the revised health and safety plan document will be released publicly on Friday.

School districts across Montgomery County have made updates to their respective health and safety plans throughout the school year as local, state and federal guidelines have evolved in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the more controversial aspects of these plans among families of schoolchildren has been the issue of mandatory versus optional face masking for students and staff in school district buildings.

Under current federal guidelines, all students and staff must be masked while riding on school district transportation but masking indoors varies by district.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently ruled that a statewide universal mask mandate for school students was improperly ordered by the commonwealth's former acting health secretary, and it subsequently tossed that mandate, leaving the issue of face coverings up to individual school districts.

Under Abington's current health and safety plan, all students and staff must wear facemasks while inside school buildings regardless of vaccination status or school district level of community transmission.

It is not yet clear what, if anything, will change in the revised plan being released Friday.