Colonial School District Makes Face Masks Optional Beginning Tuesday

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA — Students and faculty will have the option on whether or not they choose to wear face masks while inside Colonial School District buildings beginning Tuesday as the district recently adopted a new version of its health and safety plan that eliminated mandatory universal masking.

The school board originally voted to implement optional masking start on March 9 but that date has since been pushed up to this Tuesday.

Superintendent Michael Christian made the announcement about the change in a communication to district families.

"This change is being made based on the updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDS)," Christian wrote in the announcement.

Federal health officials recently updated their mask guidance to say communities throughout the country can alter their respective masking requirements based on three new tiers of COVID-19 transmission — low, medium and high.

Montgomery County, in which the Colonial School District is located, is currently listed as being in the 'medium' category, which lists masking as recommended, but not required.

The CDC also recommended that mandatory masking on school transportation be lifted, so the Colonial School District has also removed that requirement for students traveling to and from school on buses.

"This new guidance supersedes the plan approved by the [school] Board on Feb. 17, which stated that masks would be optional indoors effective March 9, provided school positivity rates for students and staff were below three percent," Christian wrote in his message. "Positive cases within our schools are currently below the three percent threshold."

Christian noted that students and staff are still given the option to wear masks while inside school buildings if they so choose.

He said school principals on Monday were scheduled to "work together with their buildings so that all are prepared to talk with students about respecting family choices related to masking."

The new CDC guidelines can be found here.

Other school districts throughout Montgomery County have also updated their masking policies since the most recent guidance unveiled by the CDC.