Toledo Public Schools announces mask plan for upcoming school year

Jul. 23—Toledo Public Schools students will return to classes next month on a five-days-a-week schedule for in-person instruction, with masks required for younger students, according to a statement the school district issued Friday.

TPS also announced a mask policy, safety precautions, and an online-learning option for the 2021-2022 school year.

Students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade will be required to wear face coverings while in school on the grounds that a majority of this age group is too young to receive coronavirus vaccines.

Individuals under 12 are ineligible for the vaccines under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Faculty and staff in Toledo's primary schools will not be required to wear masks, although they are highly encouraged to do so, said James Gant, the district's deputy superintendent. TPS will find ways to provide masks for students who need them, he said.

Masks will be optional for high school students and staff members, according to the district statement, but their use will be strongly recommended, specially among those who are unvaccinated or ineligible for the vaccine.

Mr. Gant said the school district cannot mandate face coverings for unvaccinated high school students while making them optional for vaccinated students under Ohio law that prohibits districts from discriminating against unvaccinated individuals.

The district chose to make masks optional in the secondary schools after it "reviewed who had the ability to get vaccinated" and found most high schoolers met that criterion, he said.

All students who ride TPS school buses will be required to wear face coverings during those trips.

Mr. Gant could not provide an exact count of how many TPS faculty and staff are currently vaccinated, but said more than 40 percent received the shots when they first became available in February to district employees.

Social distancing will continue to be practiced "whenever possible" in TPS schools, especially in classrooms, offices, and other areas where large groups of people congregate, the district statement said.

TPS will continue to enforce coronavirus safety guidelines to contain the spread of the virus, which includes daily cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces as well as reminding everyone to frequently wash or sanitize their hands and sneeze into tissues or sleeves.

An online learning option will be available again this year. The TPS Virtual Academy is open to students in first through 12th grades and all participants will be provided with Chromebook computers and internet service, if needed. The registration deadline is Aug. 3.

TPS noted that all plans may change based on coronavirus rate changes and recommendations from the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department and other regulatory agencies.

First Published July 23, 2021, 12:04pm

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