Upper Dublin School District Will Review Its Mask Policy Effective January 3

UPPER DUBLIN, PA — The Upper Dublin School District announced that its universal indoor masking policy would be revised in light of a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that threw out a statewide masking order for schoolchildren.

District officials said that effective Jan. 3, 2022, masks would be required for students and staff when the community is in a 'substantial' or 'high' COVID-19 transmission rate.

The district said the change will mean masks would only be 'recommended,' or not required, when the community is in a 'low' or 'moderate' transmission category.

"Please note that we will need to be in low or moderate transmission for two consecutive weeks to move from required to recommended/not required masking," Superintendent Steven Yanni said in a letter to families dated Dec. 10.

"We will continue to use our municipality-specific transmission rate as the basis for decisions. As a community we all have the ability to improve our local transmission rate," Yanni continued. "Masking, distancing, proper hygiene, and vaccinations will all go a long way to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in our community."

The district said it would continue to mandate universal masking through the winter break.

The state Supreme Court recently tossed the statewide school mask mandate, ruling that Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam acted beyond her authority when she issued a universal mask mandate for all schools in the commonwealth.