Elkins School District to separate masked, unmasked students in classroom

ELKINS -- The School District plans to separate masked and unmasked students in the classroom, according to a letter sent by the superintendent Thursday to parents and guardians.

Students who choose to wear masks will be seated in a section of the classroom with other students in the room who choose to wear masks, according to the letter from Jeremy Mangrum, superintendent. A section of at least 6 feet of vacant space will separate masked students from the section of the room where students who choose not to wear masks will be seated.

Masks are optional for the the district, according to the district's Continuity of Services Plan for the 2021-22 school year.

"The current position of Elkins School District regarding face masks is that they will not be mandated," Mangrum said in the letter. "However, the Centers for Disease Control and Arkansas Department of Health guidance is that a person inside the school should wear a face covering when adequate social distancing is not possible."

Separating masked and unmasked students will greatly reduce the chance of masked students having to quarantine, he said.

There are two ways to avoid quarantines this year, Mangrum said.

Fully vaccinated individuals identified as probable close contacts aren't required to quarantine unless they later develop symptoms, he said. The second is for both the covid-19-positive person and the probable close contact to have been properly wearing face masks during the period of exposure.

Quarantines resulted in the largest amount of lost instructional time for students last school year, Mangrum said.

"We are trying to reduce the number of quarantined students as much as possible," he said. "Please remember that while face coverings are not required they are strongly encouraged."

Students won't be asked about their vaccination status, Mangrum said Friday.

School starts Aug. 18, according to the district website.

"All students, whether wearing a mask or not, will receive the same educational experience," Mangrum said.