The Edmonds School Board of Directors, at its Feb. 22 regular business meeting, heard that the Edmonds School District will not decide on its masking policy until more guidelines from state and county health agencies are available.

“We don’t want to jump to something until we get full information and get full recommendations,” from state and county agencies,” said Superintendent Dr. Gustavo Balderas. “Then we’ll be able to come back to the board with a better idea in terms of what this looks like.”

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Feb. 17 that statewide mask orders will be ending for most indoor settings on March 21, including K-12 schools and child care facilities. However, school districts and local governments can still enact their own mask requirements. In addition, masks will continue to be required on school buses and public transit due to a federal requirement still in effect.

The governor’s office said the Washington State Department of Health will issue updated guidance the week of March 7 for K-12 schools that will become effective on March 21. The guidance will be released early in order to help schools prepare for the transition.

“I know that you’re hearing other districts do different things, we want to make sure we have all of the information first before we inform the board and community in terms of what we’re thinking,” Balderas said. “We want to be very intentional and get all of the information from the people that are really taking care of the science and they have been since this started.”

Schools will still be required to report COVID-19 cases and outbreaks, and also cooperate with public health authorities in responding to those in a manner consistent with procedures, such as contact tracing, for other communicable diseases.

Students and staff with symptoms of COVID-19 will still be required to quarantine away from school buildings. Schools must also ensure access to testing for staff and students who have symptoms of or who may have been exposed to COVID-19. If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they must remain at home and follow the Centers for Disease Control and Department of Health isolation protocol.

During verbal public comments, opinions were split on masking requirements moving forward.

Two educators weighed in on the matter: One said she felt that masks should still be required for the remainder of the school year to prioritize safety – particularly for preschoolers and kids who are unable to get vaccinated. And a middle school teacher said even if masks aren’t going to be required districtwide, she felt educators should then be allowed to determine if they are still required in their classroom workspace.

Two parents advocated for the district to lift its mask mandate when the statewide mask orders for indoor settings ends on March 21. Both said they felt that parents, students and staff should then be able to make their own decisions on wearing masks individually. One also noted that state guidelines no longer require a mask while in outdoor group settings and said the school district should immediately update its own policy for such events. Balderas said an update to that policy is likely to be determined shortly.

Student advisors on the school board reported that opinions among their peers were mainly mixed on the issue. Several said they were likely to continue wearing masks through the end of the school year even if doing so is no longer required. Students also noted they felt it will be important to prevent bullying of individuals based on their masking decisions if face coverings are no longer mandated.

Assistant Superintendent Dana Geaslen provided a COVID-19 update from the Snohomish Health District. She noted that case counts in the county have decreased to 982 per 100,000 residents, the positivity rate is down to 23%, and a quarter of hospital beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients. Geaslen said the decreasing counts and rates “is really good news,” noting that two weeks prior the case count per 100,000 people was roughly in “the 1,600 range,” and during the Omicron variant’s surge positivity rates were “in the high 30s.”

The Edmonds School District reported a positive case rate of 212 in the last 14 days, which “is down significantly,” she added. The district currently has PCR and rapid antigen tests available at all of its school sites and centralized services. Geaslen said it will “continue to use those and offer those as a mitigating strategy.

Manager of Student Health Services Mara Marano-Bianco said the district will be meeting with Snohomish Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters at the beginning of March. She noted that Spitters has announced the health district will adopt the state’s proclamation issued by the Department of Health and Gov. Inslee.

Marano-Bianco said she hadn’t spoken with Spitters, but he did ask that some comments be shared with the community and school board. “Now he has indicated that it is important to note that this announcement does not signal the end of the possible need for masking nor the end of COVID,” she noted.

“’This is a change in requirement for universal indoor masking at this current time,’” she reported Spitters as stating. “‘What has been announced reflects the ongoing evolution of our COVID response. Masks themselves are not going away as a prevention measure. I still strongly recommend that all people who are not up to date on their vaccines or those who are immunocompromised should continue to wear them in public indoor and crowded outdoor settings.’”

She added Spitters had asked “’that schools continue to remain vigilant and flexible for a future time such as an increased number of COVID-19 cases when it may become advisable again to resume universal mask-wearing to protect ourselves as a community, to protect others around us and to help protect our healthcare system.’” Marano-Bianco noted that state officials indicated last week they will be closely monitoring the health care system in order to determine how mitigating measures will be utilized in the future.

Until the state releases its updated guidance the week of March 7, Marano-Bianco said she’s unsure what else those guidelines will cover because in addition to masking policy changes, there will also be some shifts to other mitigation factors and measures.

COVID-19 remains a recognized workplace hazard and as such, the district will need to continue following its related worker protections. Staff will still have the right to wear a mask at any time, but the district is also awaiting an update from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries on workplace safety  “to help guide us in these next steps,” she added.

Balderas noted, “We have eight associations here, 13 contracts, we will work with all eight associations on any changes that need to be made on working conditions based on their MOUs (memorandums of understanding). That still needs to take place and we will be getting more guidance here shortly from the state.”

Following next month’s release of the state’s updated health guidelines, school district staff will then meet with the Snohomish Health District to determine “which of these they are planning to adopt and what we are required to follow,” Marano-Bianco said. The district anticipates it would adopt any school policy changes by March 21.

“We’re going to wait for additional guidance before we make any determination in terms of next steps,” Balderas added. “I know this has been very, very difficult for all – students, staff, community – and we’re going to be torn on this one. We know that we’re not going to make people happy one way or the other, so whatever we decide we’re going to be based on Snohomish County in terms of their recommendation. But again we need to see those recommendations and see what we can do in terms of what that looks like.”

Directors said they appreciated the district’s commitment to safety and they looked forward to having further discussions about policy updates when more information and guidelines are available in March. Some added that they appreciated the community was able to engage with and comment on the issue in a civil and productive manner. Several board members noted that any situation resulting in students having to again return to full-time distance learning must be avoided.

In other business, the school board unanimously approved three budget authorizations for upcoming planned projects, including:

– Upgrading the softball field at Mountlake Terrace High School. The project will replace the grass and drainage system, and also improve the dugouts and bleachers at the softball field. The school district’s capital projects office requested project authorization and a preliminary budget authorization of $200,000. The upgrade project is funded from the district’s 2020 levy, that was approved by voters, and its total budget is estimated at $3 million.

The district will next initiate preliminary design and cost estimates. That process also includes evaluating a range of all-weather surface options and costs. Staff will then bring back a recommendation to the school board for authorizing a construction budget and requesting a call for bids. The project’s construction work is proposed for summer 2023.

Several directors noted they were looking forward to helping evaluate the various field improvement options that will be presented to them.

– An additional budget authorization for the replacement of Oak Heights Elementary School. The district’s capital projects office recommended a $3 million budget increase to the project, for a total authorized preliminary budget of $3.5 million. The school replacement project was approved by voters as part of the 2021 funding levy and the district will next begin final planning and design work for the project. The school board previously authorized a preliminary budget of $100,000 for initial planning, and then another $400,000 to begin the conceptual design phase.

– A contract for the purchase and installation of server and security cameras through Security Solutions, along with an additional budget authorization of $900,000 for the 2021 Safety and Security Upgrades project. Those products will help update obsolete security hardware throughout the district. The project is funded by the 2020 levy. The board previously approved a preliminary budget of $750,000 for the 2021 Safety and Security Upgrades project, and then an additional budget authorization of $1 million. Some of the $1.75 million already approved is planned for other safety and security upgrades, such as traffic safety mitigation.

The school district’s capital projects office requested the additional money for a total project budget of $2.65 million, which includes the purchase and installation of a new server and 450 security cameras. Security Solutions will be awarded a contract for nearly $1.5 million to purchase and install the server and security cameras. The project is anticipated to be substantially completed by Oct. 31, 2022.

All 600 of the district’s current cameras need replacement due to malfunction, obsolete technology or being beyond their functional life span. It has also been determined an additional 300 cameras need to be strategically placed around the district for better overall security coverage. In addition, the current server does not have the necessary capacity needed for current and future districtwide security camera recordings.

President Nancy Katims said that after having attended the school district’s student safety town hall last week, she felt making the investment in security devices was particularly important.

The capital projects office will seek the school board’s approval next fiscal year to fund purchasing and installing the remaining 450 cameras.

— By Nathan Blackwell