Hatboro-Horsham Schools Continue To Mandate Universal Masking Despite Court Decision

HATBORO-HORSHAM, PA — Administrators say that students, staff and visitors to school buildings in the Hatboro-Horsham School District will continue to be required to wear facemasks as a mitigation effort against COVID-19, even after the state Supreme Court tossed a statewide mask mandate for schools.

In a communication to families that is circulating online, Superintendent Scott Eveslage said that the district continues to operate under a health and safety plan that was developed with guidance from the Montgomery County Office of Public Health, which encourages school districts to continue requiring mask-wearing.

"Montgomery County, as well as the municipalities of Horsham Township and the Borough of Hatboro, are currently experiencing a high level of community transmission," Eveslage wrote. "Masking expectations will be relaxed per the guidance when the municipality transitions to the moderate or low rates of community transmission for two consecutive weeks."

Eveslage also said that the ultimate goal is to keep students in school for in-person learning during this time, and that regardless of the district's masking protocols, the district is obligated to adhere to the School Isolation and Quarantine guidelines.

"In the school district, we are currently experiencing our highest number of active positive cases and highest number of students currently quarantined to date," Eveslage wrote. "The number of students needing to be excluded from school would only rise with individuals being unmasked due to the specifics of required quarantining in the isolation and quarantine guidelines."

Eveslage pointed out that community and county metrics of COVID-19 transmission are posted weekly on the Hatboro-Horsham School District website, and that the public can see the targets for reduction in transmission to reach the moderate or low levels, which would cause the relaxed masking protocols.

The Hatboro-Horsham announcement about continued universal masking comes a week after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that a statewide masking order for all schools in the commonwealth was invalid, since the acting health secretary did not have the authority to order such a mandate.

Since that court ruling, schools in Montgomery County and elsewhere have been revisiting their masking protocols, with some opting to repeal their universal mask mandates and others choosing to continue masking for all regardless of vaccination status.