Centerville will now require masks in all schools

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

The Centerville school district updated its mask policy late Wednesday, announcing that all K-12 students, staff and visitors will have to wear masks in district facilities starting Monday.

About 10 days before the Aug. 18 first day of classes, Centerville had made masks mandatory in elementary schools, where students are too young to get vaccinated. At the time, they left masks recommended, but optional, for middle schools and high schools.

In a message to district families Wednesday, Superintendent Tom Henderson said the school district is “still battling COVID-19 in our schools.”

“Since Aug. 16, we have received reports of nearly 70 positive cases among students and staff members,” Henderson said. “We have already had to quarantine students due to in-school exposures; those students were all middle or high school students who have not been required to wear masks.”

Henderson said no students in kindergarten through fifth grade have had to be quarantined due to COVID exposure at school, as all have been masked.

“Many of you have requested that we require masks for all K-12 students, while others have expressed their desire to make their own choice for their family,” Henderson said. “When it comes to public health, we all need to look out for each other, especially if it means keeping as many students coming to school as possible.”

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