Following Kansas City’s new mandate, these school districts require masks for everyone

Sarah Ritter
·2 min read

At least three Kansas City area school districts have changed mask requirements following Mayor Quinton Lucas’ issuance of an indoor mask mandate amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

North Kansas City schools, along with the Center and Park Hill districts, announced Thursday that masks will be required inside district buildings for all students, staff and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. The mandates are effective Monday, when the city’s order takes effect.

In addition, North Kansas City Mayor Bryant DeLong announced this week that he intends to issue a new mask order as well. On the Kansas side of the metro, Wyandotte County held a special meeting Thursday, where public health officials urged the Board of Commissioners to pass a new mask directive, although it did not take action. Johnson County officials are expected to discuss COVID-19 policies at a meeting next Thursday.

The majority of school districts throughout the metro area had made masks optional this school year, but that is changing as new cases continue to mount. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in regions of the country where the coronavirus is surging, including in Missouri and Kansas.

Officials have announced plans to require masks next month in Kansas City Public Schools, as well as the Hickman Mills and Kansas City, Kansas districts. The Shawnee Mission district this week decided to mandate masks for elementary students only, since they are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Lee’s Summit school district is expected to decide whether it will require masks at a meeting on Aug. 5.

North Kansas City schools officials said parents should prepare to send their children to school with a mask to wear indoors immediately if they attend a year-round school or a summer program. Masks also are required on school buses, per federal mandate.

“NKC Schools remains in close contact with our partners at both the Clay County and Kansas City Health Departments just as we’ve been all summer. We will continue to collaborate with local health partners to determine any other changes to COVID-19 mitigation practices before the school year begins August 23,” officials said.