Lima schools: Masks required regardless of vaccination status
Aug. 3—LIMA — Lima schools will require masks for all students, teachers, visitors and staff regardless of vaccination status in its kindergarten through 12th grade buildings, school buses and indoor sporting events when school resumes Aug. 18, becoming the first school district in Allen County to adopt a universal masking policy since Ohio rescinded its mask order in June.
Superintendent Jill Ackerman and nursing director Kate Morman introduced the new policy Tuesday, citing Allen County's low vaccination rate and the recent increase in coronavirus cases here, possibly linked to the highly contagious delta variant.
"You can't overdo it when it comes to protecting people from this virus," Ackerman said.
Lima schools leaned toward a mask-optional policy earlier this summer after Ohio's public health orders were rescinded in June.
But the district reversed course following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Allen County Public Health and pediatric medical groups urging universal masking policies in schools to protect younger students and prevent school-borne outbreaks as the delta variant spreads rapidly in the U.S.
Quarantines were a key concern behind the district's new policy, as Lima schools saw as many as 200 students quarantined at once last school year, Ackerman said.
When masks are worn, contact tracers are only required to identify students who were within 3 feet of an infected individual for at least 15 minutes, rather than 6 feet. Fully vaccinated students may not have to quarantine unless they develop COVID-19 symptoms, but the CDC still recommends vaccinated persons get tested three to five days after exposure.
Student safety was another key concern, as the highly contagious delta variant poses a greater risk to those who remain unvaccinated.
Lima schools is offering coronavirus vaccinations through its Spartan Health Center and on-campus immunization clinics, but only 6.6% of Allen County youth under age 20 have started their vaccines thus far. Children under age 12 are not yet eligible for any coronavirus vaccines. Nearly 50% of staff have been vaccinated, Morman said.
The district will continue to monitor case rates and vaccinations as the school year progresses, although Lima schools has not yet established criteria for when it will eliminate mask rules.
While Lima schools has maximized its ventilation systems and will continue to promote proper hand hygiene, sanitation and social distancing, the district will not offer an online-only option for students this school year.
The district will also discontinue temperature checks, opting instead for students, staff and visitors to monitor their own symptoms. Anyone who develops COVID-like symptoms should stay home.
