One local school district has decided on its COVID-19 policy for the upcoming school year. North Greene Unit District #3 says that masks will be recommended for all unvaccinated people in its buildings, but it will be required while on its buses.
Superintendent Mark Scott says they are following the guidance provided by ISBE, IDPH, and the Greene County Health Department as full in-person learning will return this Fall: “Right now, the guidelines that they have released say that masks are recommended. They don’t say they are required. They don’t say they are optional. It says recommended to wear masks – any unvaccinated people, so that is exactly what our plan is: We recommend that anyone who is unvaccinated wears a mask. If you ride one of our school buses or drive one of our school buses because of the failure to be able to social distance on a bus, masks are required while on a bus.”
Scott says that because Covid vaccines are only available for persons 12 years of age and upward that elementary school children need to follow the rules: “You know, 12 and under, they haven’t had a chance to get vaccinated, and we are recommending that they all wear a mask. Now, whether they choose to do so or not, that is on them and the parents. We recommend that everyone wear a mask.”
North Greene appears to have taken the lead in the local area on guidance for the full return to in-person learning. Triopia and Jacksonville School District 117 have tabled voting on updating their guidance until the first week in August, weeks away from the beginning of the school year. The Pleasant Plains School District has notified parents that masks are recommended for students and staff who are not fully vaccinated, but will not be required.