Hanover schools adds mask mandate effective next week

Times - 9/3/2021

Sep. 3—CEDAR LAKE — Like many other Region school districts this week, Hanover Community School Corp. is adding a mask mandate.

At a special board meeting Thursday night, the Return to Learn plan was revised to make masks mandatory for all students and staff in the school setting. They will be optional at outdoor events, such as recess, and the policy will be revisited each quarter, or as needed.

A letter addressed to Hanover families from Superintendent Mary Tracy-MacAulay said, "Decisions must be made to ensure a safe environment." The district's efforts need to align with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Indiana Department of Health, Indiana Department of Education and Lake County Health Department, it said.

The revisions to the Return to Learn plan also comply with Gov. Eric Holcomb's executive order from earlier this week. Adding a mask mandate will prevent asymptomatic close contacts from needing to quarantine, per the new guidelines.

The mask mandate and other revisions go into effect Tuesday, according to the district website.

The letter from Tracy-MacAulay said the best interest of students is to keep them in school and not away in quarantine for extended periods of time. Having students away from school negatively impacts learning, creates achievement gaps and creates undue stress and anxiety for our students and working families.

Last year, the letter said, Hanover schools were open all year and students wore masks.

From Aug. 23 to 27, there were 26 positive cases of COVID-19 in Hanover schools, most of which were among students. The number of students in quarantine isn't provided on the district's COVID-19 data dashboard, but it says 0.03% of students and staff were quarantined during that time frame.

The revised plan states a social distance of 3 feet will be maintained in all areas of the buildings, frequent cleaning will continue, and seating charts will be used in classrooms.

Hand sanitizer will be available in all classrooms, it states, and the water fountains will remain off. The district is accepting donation water bottles, and filling stations have been purchased and placed throughout the buildings.

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