Mask mandate: Pocono schools react to vacated DOH order

School districts in the Poconos have largely opted to go mask-optional in light of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision to lift the masking mandate, even as COVID-19 cases hit concerning highs across the region.

The highest court in the commonwealth decided to vacate Department of Health Acting Secretary Alison Beam's masking mandate that took effect in September on Friday, immediately ending the order. Districts across Pennsylvania, including the Poconos, quickly took positions on the hotly-contested issue almost immediately.

Students are still required to wear masks while they are riding school buses, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's federal public transportation conveyance.

Pocono schools adjust to masking decision

On Friday, Pleasant Valley School District Superintendent Dr. James R. Konrad issued a statement confirming that PVSD had, effective immediately, switched to a mask-optional policy as per their health and safety plan which was approved in July 2021.

PV has seen several instances of COVID-19 interfering with their sports seasons as of late: a girls basketball game set for Saturday had to be postponed following a positive test of a team member, and the boys' Friday and Saturday games were also pushed off.

PV Athletic Director Tom Toth said that even if the masking mandate no longer applied, the district would still recommend that students wear face coverings.

"I hope (lifting the mask mandate), you know, doesn't throw a wrench into into things," Toth said.

Earlier this school year, a small but vocal group of parents protested against masking in PVSD, arguing that at best, face coverings had no effect on stopping the spread of the virus, and at worst, they made children sick.

In Pike County, Delaware Valley School District has also decided to make masking optional.

"We are back to where we started the school year, which is mask-optional, because that was what was under our health and safety plan," Julie Ewald, secretary to Superintendent John Bell, said.

Over the course of the fall, DVSD was a hotbed of debate when it came to masking. A school board decision giving parents the option to opt out of the mandate via a medical exemption form with no input from a physician sparked heated discussions in the district. Toward the end of October, a temporary restraining order put an end to the exemption option, shutting down any further discussion of the topic at board meetings.

Pocono Mountain School District Public Relations Director Wendy Frable said PMSD notified their families that their district would go to mask optional on Monday.

East Stroudsburg Area School District Director of Administrative Services Eric Forsyth said ESASD has gone mask-optional, but "highly encouraged" with some conditions.

“If any of our schools should exceed just half of the state threshold for considering a 14-day remote learning — which is a 5% protocol for the state — then we would put our making mandate order back into effect for that school building,” said Forsyth.

When any ESASD building exceeds 2.5% of their total population in positive COVID cases within a 14-day window, the district will require masks.

“Presently, none of our schools meet this threshold,” Forsyth said. “Nonetheless, the Board of Education strongly encourages the continued use of face coverings at school.

On the other hand, not all districts are leaving the masking decision up to parents and students in an effort to curb observed case increases and prevent spikes that are anticipated following the holiday season.

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The Notre Dame East Stroudsburg and the Diocese of Scranton have decided to continue masking per their health and safety protocols set at the beginning of the school year.

According to Principal Jeffrey Lyons, spread of COVID cases has grown in the last several weeks at Notre Dame ES.

“While it has grown by only two or three cases per week, it has still been more than we’ve had for any one week since school started and I’m happy to keep the masks for now and see where this takes us." Lyons said, noting that the school was still being impacted by the delta variant.

The Scranton diocese announced that masking in regional Catholic schools would continue through Jan. 14, 2022, citing an increase in community spread in the region.

Catholic churches and schools in Monroe and Pike counties are part of the diocese.

Lyons said Notre Dame and the diocese will revisit their protocols mid-January and communicate any changes. In the meantime, this effort will allow their school communities to use effective measures to mitigate any spread resulting from the post-Christmas break.

Stroudsburg Area School District Superintendent Cosmas Curry said SASD will continue to follow their original health and safety plan, which requires masks when in high and substantial spread, "like it is now."

"We’re utilizing school code to allow us to promulgate rules for the health and safety and well being of our students and we’re going to continue with mask mandate in place until further notice,” Curry said.

Curry said the district expected an uptick in cases following the Thanksgiving holiday, and expects another swell after the new year.

"If we want to keep schools open and minimize the threat and the transmission of the virus between students and staff, then to us… (masking is a) small price to pay.” Curry said.

Video: St. Luke’s offers COVID-19 vaccines for children ages five to 11

COVID cases escalate among Pocono children

Over the past few weeks, Monroe has seen an escalation in COVID-19 cases across the county. This month alone has seen three of the highest daily counts in the entirety of the pandemic: Dec. 3 saw a record-breaking 187 cases, Dec. 9 saw 170, and Dec. 10 – the day of the Supreme Court's decision— saw 184.

As of Dec. 8, Monroe County has seen 1,656 cases of COVID-19 among school-aged children, while Pike has counted 484.

Since Nov. 2, children ages five and older have been eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination.

The CDC continues to advise "layered prevention strategies" to combat COVID-19 and its variants.

"At this time, as we build the level of vaccination nationwide, we must also use all the prevention strategies available, including masking indoors in public places, to stop transmission and stop the pandemic. Everyone who is able, including fully vaccinated people, should wear masks in public indoor places in areas of substantial or high transmission," a statement on the CDC website reads.

Related: Monroe County hits record level of daily COVID cases for Dec. 3

Earlier in the year, Department of Health Press Secretary Maggi Barton indicated that COVID cases within the 5 to 11 year age range had increased ten-fold when compared to the same timeframe in 2020. Not long after, the DOH reported that cases were 11.5 times higher than last year.

In September, Lehigh Valley Health Network's Chair of Department of Pediatrics Dr. J. Nathan Hagstrom noted that COVID case rates were increasing week-over-week among school-age children.

"If there isn’t universal masking in the schools there most likely will be a spike in cases," Hagstrom said.

Medical professionals continue to exhibit concern for the way the current wave of the pandemic has affected children.

"We are concerned as cases and hospitalizations in children have increased already to a point we never saw in the previous months of the pandemic," Lehigh Valley Health Network Chief of Pediatrics Dr. Tibisay Villalobos said. "Our PICU have children admitted with COVID-19 severe infections and complications. Children need to continue to wear a mask regardless. They should be vaccinated if eligible."

Senator Mario Scavello (R-40), along with other Pennsylvania Republicans, was satisfied with the Supreme Court's action to put the decision-making power in the hands of individual districts as opposed to issuing sweeping mandates across the commonwealth.

"Initially, the governor had left it up to the schools to put protocols in place, and the schools, I thought, had a pretty good handle on what they were going to do," Scavello said. "And then a week before (school starts), he institutes that mandate and puts the school districts in pretty bad position. So this really puts it back in their hands. They're big boys; they know what they need to do. Every school is a little different."

Scavello also noted that when it comes to masking in schools, "whether you're for it or not, what the Secretary of Health did was wrong" when it came to the masking mandate, as "she overstepped her authority."

Wolf's Press Secretary Elizabeth Rementer said that the court's decision was "extremely disappointing" in a statement released Friday.

"That said, the administration recognizes that many school districts want to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for students and staff, and we are hopeful they will make appropriate mitigation decisions moving forward," Rementer said. "The administration urges school districts to prioritize the health and safety of their students and staff when making mitigation decisions. ​Masking is a proven and simple way to keep kids in school without interruption and participate in sports and other extra-curricular activities."

Maria Francis covers education in Monroe County. Reach her at mfrancis@poconorecord.com.

Brian Myszkowski covers the COVID-19 pandemic in northeast Pennsylvania. Reach him at bmyszkowski@poconorecord.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Mask mandate vacated as Poconos see spike in child COVID cases