ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The Rockwood School District will move to a mask optional policy starting Jan. 18 after a school board vote Thursday.
The plan was initially proposed to begin on Jan. 3, but the board voted 4-2 in favor of moving the change to Jan. 18, two weeks after students return from winter break. After the date change, the plan was approved by a 6-0 vote.
After Jan. 18, masks will become required at a school building that has a "positivity and/or exclusion rate" of 4% or higher among students and staff members.
The district will also end whole-building notifications for positive tests. Parents will be sent a notification if a school building reaches 2% or higher, informing them that the district is monitoring the situation.
Students will still be required to wear masks on school buses per federal requirements, Rockwood stated.
The vote comes as Rockwood district officials have been at odds with Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt.
Last week, Schmitt sent letters to public schools and health departments across the state demanding they stop enforcing public health orders, like mask mandates and quarantines, following a judge’s ruling that called them illegal.
Schmitt said school districts don’t have the authority to issue their own health orders, but Ricker disagreed, citing guidance from Rockwood’s attorneys.
Rockwood school officials told parents before Schmitt’s letter that they were working on modifying the mask policy.
Other area school policies:
Affton: The board of education voted unanimously on Dec. 7 to continue its current policy, keeping an indoor mask mandate in place. The "Return to Learn" task force is scheduled to meet this week, while the board has its next meeting set for Jan. 4. A target date for any approved changes would go into effect after Jan. 8.
Brentwood: A mask mandate continues to be in place. The board will meet again next week.
City of St. Charles School District: The board voted on Dec. 9 to continue its current policy, keeping a mandate in place for K-8 students. Masks are optional for high schoolers.
Clayton: Masks are still required for all students. The board of education was expected to vote Dec. 15 on the district's "Safe return to in-person learning plan."
Francis Howell: As of Dec. 2, masks are still required for students in pre-K through sixth grade. The school board has its next meeting Dec. 16.
Hazelwood: The board of education voted to continue its COVID-19 mitigation strategies, including a mask requirement.
Kirkwood: The board of education voted to adopt a mask recommended environment. Middle and high school students will no longer be required to wear masks starting Dec. 22. and the same goes for K-5 students beginning Jan. 18.
Lindbergh: The school district announced last week masks will be optional for students and staff after they return from winter break on Jan. 5.
Mehlville: The school district announced it will be making masks optional starting Dec. 23 for high school students. Masks will be optional for elementary and middle school students after Jan. 17.
Parkway: The Parkway School Board voted unanimously to change the district to a mask-optional policy starting next month. The board voted 7-0 to revise the district's COVID-19 mitigation plan to remove the mask mandate in all Parkway school buildings starting Jan. 18, which is two weeks after students return from winter break.
St. Louis Public Schools: The mask mandate remains in place. The Board of Aldermen voted again Tuesday to extend the health department's mask mandate for the entire city.
