UPDATE: This afternoon (August 11), Volusia County Schools (VCS) announced that effective tomorrow, August 12, "all adults, including employees, parents, volunteers, and other visitors, wear a face-covering (mask or shield) in VCS schools and facilities. This will apply for adults who are indoors and where social distancing of 6 feet or more cannot be maintained. Appropriate accommodations will be made for medical purposes on an individual basis in accordance with the ADA."
The decision came less than 24 hours after Superintendent Dr. Ronald "Scott" Fritz was instructed by the Volusia County School Board to make a decision. The requirement is in effect for 30 calendar days (through September 11). This decision will be re-evaluated by Superintendent Dr. Scott Fritz as more information comes in, and VCS will relax the requirement as soon as it is practical.
DeLand, FL - During yesterday's (August 10) meeting, Volusia County School Board members stayed with the decision made at the July 27 meeting to keep masks optional for students. District 4 member Carl Persis said the choice is the parents. "If parents prefer that their children do not wear a mask, that's their choice. They do not have to fill out a form or complete anything in writing."
Persis said they will not be doing temperature checks this year. He does say that sanitizers will be available in the classrooms and school buses like last year. Something new is seating charts for the classroom and on the bus. Persis said that the goal is to know exactly where a child who becomes COVID-positive sits and find the children most likely to have been in contact with them.
As for teachers, it's not official yet but Persis said the Board has asked Superintendent Dr. Ronald "Scott" Fritz to consider the idea of a mask mandate for school staff. He said that a mass telephone message was sent out to inform parents and staff about the CDC guidelines, which call for mask-wearing indoors, whether or not you've been vaccinated. Persis said that if there is a mask mandate for staff, they're looking at a 30-day time period with a review on whether to continue or not.
