In an email sent on Nov. 5, Westfield Washington Schools Supt. Paul Kaiser notified families the district would no longer require masks as of Nov. 8.
“Early this school year, when the COVID-19 situation took a drastic turn, we took swift action to reverse course and implement a mask mandate. As our city and county vaccination rate continues to lead the state and our district’s positive cases remain low, we are prepared to, once again, let the data guide us,” the email stated.
WWS is recommending masks, but they are not mandatory. Masks are still required on buses per federal mandate. If a school building has a COVID-19 positivity rate above 1.75 percent, all students and staff will be required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, until the rate drops below 1 percent. If six district buildings exceed a positivity rate above 1.75 percent, all WWS buildings will require masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, until all nine buildings have a rate below 1 percent.
“We will continue to conduct contact tracing and notifying families if their child has been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. With the removal of the mask mandate, if your child is within 3 feet of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, they will be considered a close contact and will be required to follow quarantine protocols,” the email stated.
