As students and staff prepare to return for second semester on Wednesday, Jan. 5, Lindbergh’s administrative team has been closely monitoring the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in our community and updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that redefines the definition of fully vaccinated.
As a result, the district will extend universal masking for all students and staff until at least Wednesday, Jan. 19. Our school nurses will continue to track data and evaluate each school individually during this time. We will review community data and individual building data on Jan. 19 to determine if individual K-12 buildings can move to a mask-optional learning environment beginning on Thursday, Jan. 20, at the earliest, or if districtwide universal masking will continue.
All students and staff must bring and wear a mask to school until this date. In addition, all students are required to wear face coverings on the school bus, as required by federal mandate.
We know this is a change to what our students, staff and families were expecting. At the same time, we must ensure we are monitoring and responding to the most current information available to keep our community safe while maximizing in-person learning. This temporary change aligns with the revised Green Light Plan that was approved by the Board of Education on Dec. 16. Our revised plan allows for a return to universal masking if community data warrants such measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As a reminder, mask-optional will be considered if a building’s percentage of individuals who test positive or are presumed positive does not exceed 1.5% of a school’s total population (students and staff). The percentage will be calculated based on individuals who have in-school exposures. This includes individuals who attended school during their contagious period. COVID-19 data in the surrounding community will also be considered.
To better reflect COVID-19 activity in each individual school, the district dashboard will be updated to include each school’s weekly percentage of individuals who test positive for COVID-19 in relation to the school's total population (students and staff). The first dashboard update for the second semester will be Wednesday, Jan. 12.
These updates will allow families, students and staff to see where each school is in relation to the 1.5% metric referenced in the revised Green Light Plan.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Wednesday and appreciate the continued partnership and support of our entire school community.