Peoria Public Schools will begin the school year with universal masking for all staff and students.
Superintendent Dr. Sharon Kherat said masking is a safe and healthy way to bring students back into classrooms this year while limiting the spread of COVID-19.
"Masking and physical distancing in our schools are the key prevention strategies, particularly as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rise," she said.
Kherat said the district also will continue promoting COVID-19 vaccinations for people 12 and older, and will continue hosting vaccination clinics. COVID-19 testing, contract tracing, cleaning , and physical distancing also will remain.
"Our board recognizes that to bring students back to in-person learning requires a safe and healthy way to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus," Kherat said.
Parent Lynn Fingerhut was supportive of a universal mask policy. She has two kids under age 12 in the district who cannot yet receive vaccinations.
"Without a mask mandate for everyone, including all teachers, all staff, all students, all visitors, we're potentially on a path for a lot of quarantines, potentially outbreaks, and continuing threats of having to retreat to virtual, which I don't think anyone is looking to do this year," she said. "And to give our kids a fighting chance to stay in the classroom, we really need to have everyone masked."
Other districts,such as Dunlap and Morton, have opted for a mask-optional policy, citing parental authority or high overall vaccination rates. But ZIP codes within the city of Peoria have the county's lowest overall vaccination rates. The CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health are recommending, but not mandating, masking for the unvaccinated in schools.
The board of education also approved using American Rescue Plan funds to pay for a one-time, $2,000 COVID-19 bonus to all full-time Peoria Public Schools employees.
