GREEN RIVER — Masks within Sweetwater County School District (SCSD) No. 2 schools will be optional to start the 2020-2021 school year.

The SCSD No. 2 Board of Trustees approved the Smart Start plan Tuesday night, in which students and staff will have the option to wear or not wear masks based on individual discretion. The district will operate within a three-tier system.

Tier I, which is what the district will be starting with, is called the “Open” tier. In this tier, there will be in-person classes and student activities, as appropriate. All students who are attend in-person classes will be in the schools at the same time. Social distancing and various hygiene protocols will be applied to the greatest extent possible. Face coverings are optional and buildings are open to all students.

To start off the year, parents will only be allowed in the buildings by appointment.

Additionally, water bottle filling stations will be available, but drinking fountains will not. The district will be closely monitoring for symptoms, and parents are asked to keep students home if there are symptoms present.

Teir II, “Hybrid”, will go into effect if there is a 15 percent or 30 percent positivity rate at a specific school.

If a specific school reports a 15 percent positivity rate among staff and students for COVID-19, that school will be requested to reinstate the masks or face covering mandate for a 10 day time frame. Upon 10 days, the positivity rate will be recalculated to see if the school is back under the 15 percent threshold.

All of the other schools will not be required to wear masks during this time unless they themselves reach a positivity rate of 15 percent of higher.

If a specific school reports a 30 percent positivity rate among staff and students, that school will be closed to in-person learning and instruction will be provided remotely for a 10 day period. Upon 10 days, the positivity rate will be recalculated to see if the school is back under the 30 percent positivity threshold and if a masks or face covering mandate is necessary, or if a school can resume under normal circumstances.

Tier III is the “Online Learning” tier. Under this tier, school buildings will be closed to in-person learning due to local or state health directives or orders, or if there is a district-wide positivity rate of 30 percent. Instruction will be provided remotely under this tier.

Remaining Diligent

SCSD No. 2 Superintendent Craig Barringer said that over 300 employees of the district have been vaccinated. However, the district is not requiring staff or students to be vaccinated.

Chairman Steve Core said there will be no tolerance for bullying students and staff who decide to wear masks.

“There is no tolerance for bullying. If a kid is being bullied for wearing a mask, you must stop it,” Core said. 

Trustee Rachelle Morris added that it is not appropriate for staff to ask their coworkers or students if they’re vaccinated or not, as it places them in an unfair position.

Core and Trustee Robin Steiss expressed some concerns about starting school without masks, however, the Board of Trustees are overall in support of starting without the mask mandate.

“The parents are excited to start mask free,” Roosa said. “I just want to let people to know we’re doing the best we can for our students.”

Steiss said she believes there is about a 50/50 split between people who are in favor of going back without masks and those who are against it.

“I think we just have to be diligent in making sure that our kids and staff are safe, because there’s a lot of fear out there,” Steiss said. 

Trustee Mark Sanders said the district just needs to continue monitoring the situation and listening to the professionals and continuing studies and findings.

“The appropriate thing to do is watch what’s going on,” Sanders said. “Preemptively shutting things down is ridiculous, in my opinion. If we want to keep our kids safe, take their cars and cellphones away.”

Activities to Resume As Normal

SCSD No. 2 Activities Director Tony Beardsley said activities will mostly operate as normal. Coaches will monitor kids for symptoms, and if kids show symptoms, they will be sent home. Once symptoms subside, they will be welcome back to practice.

“Face coverings, social distancing, and hand washing will be encouraged because we know those things help,” Beardsley said. “But they will not be required.”

Additionally, he said equipment and facilities will be properly sanitized.

However, seating charts will be implemented on buses in case COVID-19 tracing needs to occur.