COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — On Wednesday, following a federal judge’s ruling which temporarily halts a mask mandate ban in Iowa Schools, the Council Bluffs Community School District said it “will expect all students, staff and visitors to wear masks at school during school hours and when physical distancing is not possible.”
In addition, the district said:
- Students will not have to wear a mask when seated to eat breakfast, lunch or while participating in outdoor classroom activities or recess.
- Staff members may choose to remove masks when children are not present before and after school. However, it is strongly recommended that those who are not vaccinated wear a mask when physical distancing is not possible.
- Our extracurricular and co-curricular activities will remain unchanged.
The district said it understands that public opinion on wearing masks varies but it has “the responsibility to make decisions based on state and federal law, and are doing so with the implementation of this change in expectations based on yesterday’s order.”
To help, the district said it will:
- Make masks available at school
- Encourage regular hand washing and sanitizing opportunities throughout the day, especially before and after eating
- Regularly clean high touch points
- Practice enhanced daily sanitization of all classrooms
The district added, “We will also continue to track and monitor the positive case totals and trends in each school and throughout the school district, notify parents and staff of positive cases, and collaborate with the Pottawattamie County Health Department as appropriate to determine if we need to adjust our practices and mitigation measures.The 2021-22 Operations Manual was updated this morning to reflect this change. Thank you for your cooperation and your support of students as everyone adjusts to this change in expectations.”
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