photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World Illustration

As the 2021-22 school year recently began, Douglas County school districts continued to respond to the coronavirus differently, specifically regarding mask use.

However, a recent order from the Douglas County Commission will bring more conformity to practices for the foreseeable future.

On Wednesday, the commissioners ordered all children between the ages of 2 and 12 to wear masks indoors within the county, with some exceptions listed. That age was chosen because children below the age of 12 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. While the order applies to all indoor facilities, it mostly affects the children when they are at school.

After the decision, the Baldwin City and Eudora school districts — which had not previously required their students to wear masks — informed their communities of the new mandate and began requiring the students to wear masks at schools.

“We have no choice but to follow the mask mandate as written for 2 to 12 years old,” Baldwin City Superintendent Paul Dorathy said in an email on Thursday.

The order also partly affects the Perry-Lecompton school district, which has an elementary school in Douglas County and did not start the school year with a mask requirement. The superintendent there, J.B. Elliott, said during a school board meeting on Thursday that the elementary school, which educates first through fourth graders, will be required to comply.

As for students above age 12, while Baldwin City and Eudora officials told the Journal-World they will follow the new order, they will continue to let the older students go maskless.

Perry-Lecompton went the other direction. On Friday the district announced that its school board had approved a plan to require all of its students and staff to begin wearing masks while in school buildings, beginning on Monday.

Perry-Lecompton’s decision mirrors the Lawrence school district’s policy, which had already required all students, staff and visitors to wear masks in school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

On Friday, Gov. Laura Kelly called on all Kansas school districts to issue a mask requirement, The Associated Press reported.

“Until the vaccine is approved for children under 12, masks can prevent students from quarantining, from getting very sick and dying from COVID-19,” she said. “We got our kids back into the classroom by following public health guidance, by wearing masks, by getting vaccinated. We will get them there and keep them safe by doing exactly those things.”

No mandate for older students

During a special board meeting on Thursday, Eudora Superintendent Stu Moeckel explained that the district began following the county’s under-12 order immediately. On the first day after the county’s order went into effect, he said he estimated that 90% of the district’s elementary school students had arrived at school with masks. The rest were given masks by the district.

Additionally, he said the district would not make wearing a mask a disciplinary issue, but instead would work with the students to make sure they are complying.

The schools also won’t make them wear the masks during their outdoor recess or while eating lunch. Teachers are also giving their students mask breaks.

“It’s just a kind of common sense approach to it,” Moeckel said. “Our kids, much like last year, have done a great job with it and it’s a compliment to them and their families and our staff to help them with that.”

But the district will continue to follow its previous guidelines for the rest of the district’s students. Under those guidelines, students are not required to wear masks unless a school building reaches a 14-day active caseload that exceeds 2% of its total building population.

Mark Dodge, a spokesman for the district, told the Journal-World Thursday none of its schools had reached that threshold.

In Baldwin City, Dorathy said the district would also follow the county’s order, but would stick to its original plan for the other students.

Under Baldwin City’s guidance, mask use for students 12 and older and district staff is optional but “highly recommended.” Prior to the commission’s decision, Dorathy said the district believed these measures would help ensure that students remained in person for school, but conditions around COVID-19 could change.

“We believe under the present conditions this allows us to start school and keep students in person,” Dorathy said. “We also realize that metrics can change, and the board will adjust to those changes as needed.”

In light of the county’s order, officials for both schools said they knew some families would consider other educational options for their children. As of Friday afternoon, Dorathy said one student has left Baldwin City, and Dodge said one family has left Eudora so far.

Masks for all

While the county’s order does not change masking requirements for people eligible to be vaccinated, both Perry-Lecompton and the Lawrence school district have chosen to require masks regardless.

Superintendent J.B. Elliot said in a message to the Perry-Lecompton community that the decision comes while eight students have recently tested positive for the virus and 16 are currently quarantined because of close contact protocols. He said during the board meeting that the most positive cases the district saw at one time last year was four.

“The USD 343 Board of Education will continue to focus on student learning and providing as much in-class instruction as possible for our students,” he said in a message to the community. “We need students healthy and in attendance to accomplish this goal, not at home because of COVID-19 isolations or quarantines.”

Meanwhile, the county order had no real effect on the Lawrence school district, which had already installed an all-encompassing mandate.

District Spokeswoman Julie Boyle said the district appreciated the county’s decision and also encouraged all county residents to wear masks indoors.

“The district’s priority is to keep kids safe and in school,” Boyle said in an email. “We encourage all members of our community to wear masks when indoors in public places. Wearing a mask is such a simple action each of us can take to care for others and prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the highly contagious delta variant in our community.”

— Journal-World reporter Rochelle Valverde contributed to this report.