As COVID cases rise, large Kentucky school district reinstates mandatory mask policy

UPDATE: The Oldham County Board of Education voted Jan. 24 to give the superintendent "the ability to make decisions about universal masking and other mitigation protocols, should the numbers continue to trend down," the district said. The board will review policies at its Feb. 28 meeting, unless the superintendent takes action before that date.

A major school district near Louisville has reinstated a mandatory mask policy amid a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases throughout Kentucky.

Dr. Jason Radford, the superintendent for Oldham County Public Schools, said in a letter sent to parents Monday evening that the district's Board of Education voted in a meeting that day to require all students, staff and visitors to wear masks in all buildings "for the next two weeks during the instructional day and at enrichment centers."

The requirement was to begin Tuesday, and the board will review numbers again at a meeting on Jan. 24, Radford said. Oldham County Public Schools instituted a mask-optional policy in November 2021.

Under a federal requirement, masks will remain mandatory on buses until at least March 18, according to Radford.

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The board also voted to accept the new Kentucky Department for Public Health guidelines sent out Monday regarding quarantine and isolation protocols — which allow both to be shortened in some cases.

Schools with universal mask policies no longer need to contact trace for at-school exposures, the new health guidance says. Those exposed at school no longer need to quarantine.

The guidance is stricter for districts without a universal mask policy. Those with mask-optional policies must continue to contact trace, and anyone not up-to-date with their vaccine and who has been exposed at school should quarantine for five days.

Regardless of mask policies, anyone who is not up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccination and is exposed outside school should be quarantined for five days, unless they are participating in a school’s “test-to-stay” program.

Radford told parents "it is very important that you keep your child at home if they are experiencing any symptoms of illness."

"We continue to provide for the educational needs of our students while being mindful of both their physical and mental well-being in the process," Radford said. "We recognize the importance of in-person learning every day for our students and we will do everything to make this possible. We believe these measures will help us achieve this goal."

More: Jefferson County Public Schools' Pollio discusses return to remote learning

The decision comes as the omicron variant of COVID-19 has been causing cases to exponentially grow in Kentucky.

The state reported almost 12,000 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend with 5,049 reported Monday. The sate's positivity rate is above 26%.

In Oldham County, the transmission rate is classified as "high" by the state's department for public health — as of Monday, the county had a seven-day average of daily cases per 100,000 people of 202.7.

"Even if omicron remains a milder disease," Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said Monday, "with our hospitals already struggling now, the next few weeks could get much worse."

Contact Ben Tobin at bjtobin@gannett.com and 502-377-5675 or follow on Twitter @Ben__Tobin.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky school district reinstates mandatory masking due to omicron