New Hope-Solebury Mask Mandate Lifted Ahead Of Schedule After New CDC Guidance

NEW HOPE, PA — The New Hope-Solebury School District is mask-optional as of Wednesday, following changed pandemic guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and a unanimous vote by the board of school directors Tuesday night.

In a previous vote, the day before the CDC issued its changes, the board had opted to go mask-optional on March 7. Board president Judeth Finn said that decision was made because of a desire to allow parents time to find alternate education arrangements, as well as to offset the spread that tends to follow school holidays.

But the board convened again for a special meeting Tuesday after the CDC released new COVID-19 guidelines and rescinded its mask order for public transportation, this time voting on changes to take effect Wednesday.

Bucks County is considered an area of medium transmission per the CDC's new benchmarks, meaning that masks are potentially recommended for immunocompromised community members but optional for others.

Students and staff are still "allowed to wear masks indoors until further notice," according to the latest health and safety plan.

"Masks will no longer be required on buses as the CDC order for buses has been rescinded," the plan now reads.

The district also again specified that the plan could be changed based on future modifications to national and state guidance, or on increased case numbers in Bucks County.

The new practice of not notifying close contacts — which would be "impossible" under a mask-optional policy — but sending letters at the classroom and building level about any newly-identified COVID-19 cases remains in place.

A health and safety presentation to the board in last week's meeting offered reasoning for dropping the mandate: increased ventilation and outdoor activities possible in the spring, other public spaces regionally no longer requiring masks, mask and compliance fatigue making enforcement difficult, and mask-optional policies "maximiz[ing] learning opportunities and minimiz[ing] instructional disruptions."

Public comment was dominated by parents and school personnel in favor of removing the mandate.

Brian Demby, who works in security with the New Hope-Solebury operations department, said he was in favor of a mask-optional policy starting Wednesday.

"They don't wear the mask properly and they refuse to wear the mask properly," he said of students, adding, "The last couple years it's been really tough. I have a great rapport with these students, but I've been fighting with them in the cafeterias, just all kinds of stuff. It's just time for a change."

Removing the mask mandate would also allow the high school to have a mask-optional spirit week, which was important to several students and parents who spoke Tuesday night.

Some elementary school parents were also concerned about "blue boxes" designating social distancing for young students in the cafeteria. While some distancing will remain in place, Superintendent Charles Lentz said the district plans to roll back that specific measure.

All nine board members voted in favor of the new health and safety plan taking effect Wednesday.

Read the New Hope-Solebury school district's new health and safety plan here.

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