Mask mandate for Highland students remains murky as fall semester approaches

Will students be wearing masks in Highland schools next year? The answer is still pending.

Superintendent Mike Sutton said he shares parents’ frustrations as he waits for rulings from the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health.

“School’s going to open in less than 60 days, and we need to know what kind of things to expect, to at least know their expectations,” he said.

Sutton said he co-signed a letter from hundreds of school officials asking the state to issue their guidelines for the fall semester. So far indications have been the state will require all students to return to the classroom with few exceptions for remote learning, but may still require social distancing, which will prove a challenge with the square footages in the classrooms, he said.

“We made it work last year, we will make it work this year, we will be in-person for five days a week,” he said. “But there’s a lot of friction with the state saying we have to be in session, and we have to follow these rules, but we can’t do both.”

Parents have spoken at previous meetings about their concerns about masks, largely in opposition to requiring them — even if the state does.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance in May that clarified that schools should continue to use COVID-19 prevention strategies in the fall, including requiring masks for all students and teachers and continuing social distancing.

While the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for children as young as 12, younger children may not be vaccinated. In recent weeks, the rise of variant strains of the virus has created calls for a return to masking even among vaccinated people in some areas, including St. Louis.

Sutton said he is hopeful they will have firm guidelines to set policy by the July school board meeting.

“I hope in July I can tell you that this is what the regulations are for school in August, and this is what they say will happen if everybody is not in compliance,” he said.

At that point, he said, the board can decide what policy to set.