Lee School District to require face coverings for students: District to provide ‘opt-out-form’ for parents who choose not to have their child wear a mask
With COVID-19 cases spiking in Lee County and the number of positive tests for the highly contagious virus topping 20%, the School District of Lee County will now require masks unless parents decide to opt their children out in writing.
This respects “parents’ fundamental rights” to make the choice for their child while also taking into account guidance from various health entities including the Centers for Disease Control, which recommends face covering in area of high transmission, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which “recommends that all students older than two (2) years and all school staff should wear face masks at school (unless medical or developmental conditions prohibit use),” the district said in a letter to parents sent out Sunday night.
Parents are asked to fill out a “mask opt-out form,” which will be available tonight. Links will be sent to families with children in the public school system.
The policy will be in place until at least until Sept. 10, to give the district “time to track and evaluate community spread in Lee County.” The district “will continue to work with our health partners to monitor the conditions in our community at that time to make further decisions.”
Until then, the district is “strongly encouraging all staff to wear masks to help us mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”
The district previously announced face covering would be voluntary.
School board policy gives the superintendent of schools the authority to issue emergency guidelines related to Personal Protective Equipment, the letter states.
Schools open tomorrow, Aug. 9. All students can be escorted to class on the first day of school.
The letter, in full, reads:
Dear SDLC Families,
Per the Florida Department of Health, the COVID-19 positivity rate in Lee County for the week of July 30 – August 5 is 20.8% which puts us in an area of high transmission per the Centers for Disease Control.
Therefore, The School District of Lee County will require face coverings as a mitigation measure as we begin the 21-22 schoolyear, while respecting parents’ fundamental rights to direct the health care decisions of their child, by allowing them to opt their child out of wearing a face covering or mask.
Our decision is based on the following factors:
• The State Surgeon General’s Emergency Order which states that “Students may wear masks or facial coverings as a mitigation measure; however, the school must allow for a parent or legal guardian of the student to opt-out the student from wearing a face covering or mask.”
• The Governor’s Executive Order which directs that any actions taken by school districts comply with the Parents’ Bill of Rights to “protect parents’ right to make decisions regarding masking of their children in relation to COVID-19.”
• Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) which “recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.”
• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) which “recommends that all students older than two (2) years and all school staff should wear face masks at school (unless medical or developmental conditions prohibit use)”; and
• Board Policy 1.181 which grants the Superintendent the authority to implement emergency Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use in the District and allows him to provide guidelines for same.
We have also heard the concerns raised by parents and stakeholders, both those who support and oppose a mask requirement. We believe that requiring masks with an opt-out, ensures that we are doing all we can to keep our students and employees safe, while supporting our community’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and respecting the fundamental rights of parents to direct the health care of their children.
Parents who do not want their child to wear a mask should fill out the School District’s Mask Opt-Out form which will be available tomorrow evening. We will send a link to families then.
In addition, at this time, we are strongly encouraging all staff to wear masks to help us mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
This requirement will be in place through September 10, 2021 in order to give us time to track and evaluate community spread in Lee County. We will continue to work with our health partners to monitor the conditions in our community at that time to make further decisions.
Finally, we have updated other health and safety protocols for the 21-22 school year. All of the guidance can be found on our website.
Thank you.
The School District of Lee County
To reach Meghan Bradbury, please email news@breezenewspapers.com