Columbia Falls School District 6 will keep masks optional

Columbia Falls School District 6 will make masks optional for students as the new school year swings into gear in the coming weeks, superintendent Dave Wick said in a recent letter sent to parents.

The school board voted to make masks optional in June. Prior to that, they were mandatory for students and staff to stem the spread of coronavirus. The district will still offer remote learning for students who chose not to go to school in person.

Wick notes that cases are on the rise with the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus in Montana.

The district is in what’s known as Phase III, which makes the use of masks optional. The district will also not screen students coming into schools.

“In Phase III, there are several elements that continue as precautions for the spread of disease, including extra sanitation, social distancing, frequent hand washing, and students and staff staying home when sick and symptomatic.  In this phase, mask wearing is up to the individual and we will not be screening students every day at the door,” Wick said in his letter.

However, there will still be quarantine requirements in positive cases if a person is not vaccinated.

“We will continue, as required, with contact tracing and quarantining anyone within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more of a confirmed case.  Students and faculty who have been vaccinated will not need to quarantine if they are exposed and asymptomatic.  County health will be verifying vaccine status for those who are seeking to avoid quarantine,” Wick notes in the letter.

Last year the quarantine requirements upended some sports, particularly those in the fall. The girls cross country team was hit particularly hard, as it lost a key runner to quarantine just before the state championship.

This year, high school student athletes are eligible for vaccination, as is anyone who is 12 or older.

The district also sent a survey to parents and is also asking for input on how best to use coronavirus relief funds.

It already plans on using funds to pay for upgrades to the heating and cooling systems at Ruder Elementary School. That upgrade cost about $1.2 million.

But the district has a third round of funding available — $1 million for the high school and $4 million for the elementary. The funds are restricted, but the school is considering upgrades to heating and cooling systems at the junior high and the high school, Wick said.

School classes start Aug. 26.