No Word On Whether Abington Schools Will Mandate Masks in 2021-22

ABINGTON, PA — As some area school districts are heeding the guidance of county health officials with respect to mask-wearing recommendations, the Abington School District has not yet said whether students will be forced to wear facemasks during the upcoming school year.

The district said it will be posting its draft health and safety plan on the Coronavirus Resource Center section of its website when it is coming up for approval by the school board during its meeting next Tuesday, Aug. 10.

A look at the website shows that an agenda for next week’s meeting has not yet been posted, although a school district communications employee told Patch that the topic of the health and safety plan is indeed expected to come before the school board next week and that the board will likely put the matter to a vote.

The most recent communication under the Coronavirus Resource Center on the district’s website is from Aug. 2, in which Superintendent Jeffrey Fecher reminds families and staff that the Montgomery County Office of Public Health recently issued new guidance for the reopening of K-12 schools, which replaced previous guidelines.

That latest county health guidance suggests or recommends that all students, regardless of vaccination status, be masked while inside school buildings; previous guidance alluded to masks being optional for students who have already had the COVID-19 vaccine.

The district website shows that the school board had approved a health and safety plan for summer programs and activities back in June, but the draft safety plan for the upcoming school year, which is not yet available, could differ from the summer version given the changes with the coronavirus pandemic.

As infection rates begin to once again rise, some area school districts, like Methacton and Norristown in Montgomery County, are revising their health and safety plans to now mandate that all students regardless of vaccination status wear masks while inside school buildings.

Patch will keep Abington residents up to date on the status of the district’s mask policies as they become available.