August 11, 2021
Dear parents of USD 108 students,
Thank you for your continued support of the health and safety of our students and staff as we continue our planning to provide safe in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year.
As I shared with all families in our Back to School Tiger Tales, we will not be mandating mask wearing in our buildings this fall. Of course, you and your families are free to wear a mask if you are more comfortable doing so. We are hoping we do not have to change our stance on this issue, but reserve the right to do so if COVID circumstances and information provided by our local medical personnel indicate a change is needed..
We need to share with you some recent clarification that we received from the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) which will require our compliance and adherence to an existing Order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This Order applies to all students who will be riding a school bus and requires that all students and all drivers wear masks while on the bus.
The key term in the CDC/HHS Order that makes the masking requirement applicable to our school buses is the term “conveyances,” which will not only include school buses but will also apply to other forms of school district-provided transportation such as activity buses, vans, SUVs, and/or cars.
The USD 108 Board of Education discussed this issue at the August 9, 2021 meeting and agreed to support this Federal Order.
Our drivers will have extra cloth masks if your child does not have one. These masks will be gathered and washed each night. However, you may also provide your child with their own masks.
We appreciate your time in reviewing this information and your patience and understanding with continually evolving circumstances that require our compliance and adherence. Please know we will share any updates with you about this existing Order as we learn about them.
Much love and appreciation,
Denise O’Dea
Superintendent