(KNSI) – The Sartell-St. Stephen School District will require all students, staff, and visitors to wear masks while inside during the 2021-2022 school year. District 748’s School Board approved the mask mandate regardless of vaccination statutes during Monday night’s school board meeting. The mask requirement will not apply to sports and after-school activities.
The ISD 748 COVID 19 Safe Learning Plan passed by a vote of 4-2 with board members Jeremy Snowberger, Jason Nies, Amanda Byrd, and Matt Moehrle supporting the mandate. Board members Tricia Meling and Patrick Marushin voted against the mask mandate.
School Board chairman Jeremy Snoberger says it was a hard decision.
“There was no decision we were going to make tonight that was going to be one that would make everyone happy. Our goal was to create the safest environment possible for our students. And that’s what we did.”
Last week, CentraCare Health recommended all students in grades K-12 wear a mask. Snoberger says those kinds of recommendations played into the board’s decision.
“We heard a lot from our community physicians and our health systems. That was the best way to control the virus. The key this year is kids in schools. The most important thing we found in COVID was the more time we have kids in the school, the better. And by masking at all levels, that gives us the best opportunity for that.”
He said last year, the school district had many different options for students, including offering distance learning, but this year, those options have been taken away.
The mandate can be changed. Snoberger says District 748 will constantly evaluate the COVID situation and lift the mask mandate if conditions improve. According to the Sartell School District, the latest data from Stearns County shows a test positivity rate of 7% in Central Minnesota. The district says data shows that 52% of Stearns County residents are fully vaccinated, well below the recommended 70% vaccination rate.
The evening started with multiple parents, students, and community members taking turns speaking during the open forum with the request for and against masks evenly split. During the COVID 19 Safe Learning Plan discussion, the school board had to take a ten-minute recess due to interruptions from the audience.
On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health warned that COVID cases were increasing in children due to the Delta variant and low vaccination rates.
The St. Cloud Area School District will pass their COVID 19 Safe Learning plans on Wednesday night. Catholic Community Schools in St. Cloud is letting families whether they want their kids to wear masks at school.
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