Two of the three school districts that serve South Tempe and West Chandler have now dropped mandates that face masks be worn on their campuses to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
The Tempe Union High School District on Feb. 18 joined the Kyrene School District in lifting face covering mandates on its campuses.
Kyrene announced its revised policy a week earlier.
The Tempe Elementary School District still requires face coverings for those indoors on its campuses, but said in a statement Thursday that “this is a fluid situation and we will continue to monitor the health and safety of our students and staff.”
The Tempe Union district action becomes effective Feb. 22, when face masks become optional. Face coverings remain mandatory on all school buses and district transportation, which fall under a federal order covering public transportation.
In a letter to parents and staff announcing the revised policy, TUHSD Superintendent Kevin J. Mendivil “strongly” encouraged students and staff to continue to follow recommended guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This, Mendivil wrote, includes but is not limited to:
- Taking advantage of vaccine opportunities for those eligible.
- Practicing physical distancing to the extent possible.
- Self-monitoring for signs of illness and staying home if not feeling well.
- Practicing proper hygiene and being mindful of personal space.
“Our community has come together to keep one another safe and healthy,” Mendivil said. “We have also carefully followed the safety measures in our Health Mitigation Plan. As a result of our metrics being in a favorable position and in consultation with our TUHSD Governing Board, beginning Tuesday, February 22, 2022, face masks will be optional indoors on all TUHSD campuses. Some of our families will choose to wear masks indoors and some of our families will not. At this time, both scenarios are appropriate and both scenarios need to be honored.”
As with TUHSD, Kyrene will continue to require masks on district transportation modes, including school buses, to comply with the federal transportation order.
Kyrene Superintendent Laura Toenjes said in her letter to district constituents Feb. 11 that recission of the mask mandate comes after the Kyrene Emergency Management Team studied data and trends over the six weeks since winter break that included case counts and case rates on the Kyrene Dashboard and the Maricopa County Schools Dashboard, staff absences and substitute-teacher rates, and student absence rates.
“We have observed improving trends in each of the above areas for three straight weeks,” Toenjes said. “Based on these trends, face coverings will be optional in all Kyrene schools and facilities, beginning Monday, February 14. Face coverings will also be optional in our Kyrene preschools. . . . Kyrene families and staff are expected to follow the CDC’s guidelines regarding wearing face coverings, following illness or exposure.”
All three school districts in the area started the current school year with mask mandates in place, dividing those communities and school boards — sometimes in loud, angry confrontations.
Toenjes expressed “my gratitude to every Kyrene student, employee, family member and community member who has shown our schools support and grace over the last two years.”
Mendivil similarly thanked the TUHSD community, adding that the district mask policy is flexible and could change again if conditions warrant.
“From the start of the pandemic, TUHSD has followed scientific data and evidence – this includes CDC guidance, consultation with (Maricopa County Department of Public Health), vaccination events and awareness, monitoring of transmission levels in our communities, and successful implementation of our mitigation strategies,” he said. “We will continue with this same approach. As we have seen throughout the past two years, it is important that we stay flexible in order to meet any challenge that may arise. This could include the use of face coverings indoors for a period of time should community spread become substantial or high, as defined by the (MCDPH).”
