Lansing board approves gating criteria for masks

Oct. 14—The Lansing Board of Education has approved criteria for determining when masks will no longer be required in the district's schools.

Superintendent Dan Wessel presented recommendations for what was referred to as gating criteria for masks to board members when they met Monday.

"My recommendation would be that we follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance," Wessel said.

The CDC recommends people, regardless of their vaccination status, wear masks while in public indoor spaces in areas of substantial or high transmission of the coronavirus.

Leavenworth County, like most areas of the United States, currently is designated as a high transmission area, according to the CDC website.

Wessel recommended monitoring the CDC's recommendation regarding the county's transmission rate on a weekly basis.

Board members voted to allow masks to become optional if the transmission rate drops to what is considered a low or moderate level. The board also gave the superintendent permission to post numbers related to the local transmission rate on a weekly basis as well as information regarding whether masks are being required in the schools.

Written recommendations prepared by Wessel also touched on the availability of COVID-19 vaccinations for children. But the motion approved by board members Monday did not include a vaccination component.

Twitter: @LVTNewsJohnR

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