Without the ability to mandate face masks, Friendship Aspire Schools officials are in the same position as other public school leaders, thanks to Arkansas Act 1002, which went into effect Wednesday.
More than 1,700 new covid-19 cases and 12 covid-related deaths in Arkansas were reported Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 6,099. In Jefferson County, the number of active cases dropped from 474 to 447, and no new covid-related deaths were reported.
Still, Friendship intends to start the new school year Aug. 16 with in-person learning, and one official says the schools are taking measures to limit the spread of the disease.
"The health and safety of our students and staff is our primary concern amidst the growing covid rate," said Virginia Henry, Friendship Aspire assistant superintendent. "To that end, we highly recommend vaccinations for all staff and will continue with safety protocols from last year to combat the spread of covid. Mask wearing is highly encouraged for all students and staff indoors. Social distancing will continue as much as possible. Temperature screenings to enter the building will occur. Cleaning and sanitizing of classrooms and common areas will continue."
Friendship Aspire, a public charter school system, operates an elementary school campus on South Hazel Street and a high school on West 73rd Avenue. Act 1002 prevents school districts and charter systems from requiring students and staff members to wear masks on campus, and it strips power from the governor to reinstate a mask mandate statewide.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who lifted the statewide mandate March 31, said at a town hall meeting in Dumas on Tuesday that he would like for people to have the option to wear masks and pushed for further vaccinations in the state. He met with legislative leaders about Act 1002 after the visit, but has not committed to calling a special session to reconsider the act's restrictions, despite requests from local school leaders and physicians across Arkansas.
Dumas School District Superintendent Kelvin Gragg criticized the act, calling it "ludicrous" at a time covid-19 cases continue to mount. McGehee School District nursing director Sara Williams said she would feel better if masks could be required in schools.
Hutchinson's visit to Dumas came the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed its stance on masks and recommended that everyone inside a school campus wear them.
Friendship campuses will host "Back to School Nights" during the week before school starts. In this event, students 12 and older and parents will be encouraged to get vaccinated, Henry said.
A vaccination clinic at the Friendship Pine Bluff elementary campus is in the planning stages, she added. The city of Pine Bluff and Doctor's Orders Pharmacy will host a clinic from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
Henry said Friendship faculty members learned "a great deal about effective virtual instruction," explaining that students at the Pine Bluff campuses scored proficient on the ACT Aspire exams in English language arts and high school mathematics.
"This is while our students were virtually effective," Henry said.
Still, she added, Friendship officials hope they won't need to go all-virtual because of covid-19 spread within schools.
"If we have to do it, we think we'll be ready," she said. "We think we've learned a lot. Parents and students learned how to use the technology and students learned how to organize their time. Virtual is effective when the parent, child and teacher are involved."