School starts Wednesday for Mason Elementary School, and the district finalized their opening plan last week in preparation.
Principal Kristen Kivela sent a notice out to the district stating that the school year will begin in their Blue Phase, which has masks optional, and three feet of social distancing will be implemented wherever possible. Additionally, the Blue Phase’s language in the plan says that masks are strongly recommended for students who are immunocompromised, have family members that are immunocompromised, or anybody who has had a close community contact with a COVID-19 positive individual.
The rest of SAU 89’s reopening framework calls for movement between the four phases – blue, green, yellow and red – based on case numbers and positivity rates within Mason Elementary. Blue calls for a positivity rate of less than 5% and less than five active cases, Green for between six and eight cases or 5-8%, Yellow for nine to 11 cases or 8-10%, and Red for any number of cases above 12 or a positivity rate above 10%.
In Green and Yellow phases, masks will be required indoors. In the Yellow phase, hybrid or remote instruction will be put into place, for individual classes or the entire school depending on circumstances, while “critical needs” students will be allowed to continue with in-person learning. In the Red phase, instruction will be remote.
In the Blue and Green phases, students that are out sick will be provided work via Google Classroom or paper. In the plan, the district administration and school board encouraged students and staff to stay home when ill under all circumstances.
Kivela encouraged district parents to drive their students whenever possible, as mitigation strategies are difficult to implement on busses.
“We are excited to welcome the students back to school,” Kivela said. “Although things are still not 100% ‘normal,’ we are closer to that goal than last year. We are going to have an amazing school year.”