Solon Springs School Board Votes To Eliminate Mask Mandate Effective Immediately

Here's one thing students in Solon Springs won't have to carry to class with them:  a mask.  With a unanimous vote at the meeting on May 17, the school board voted to eliminate the mask mandate - effective immediately. Additionally, they voted to "expunge any COVID-19 related disciplinary actions from student records at the end of the school year".

The vote to end the mask mandate for Solon Springs comes as similar mandates have been dropped by local, regional, and state governments; additionally, the CDC has also said that people who have been fully vaccinated can go mask-less unless bound by local governmental regulations or private business requirements.  Most schools in the area however have chosen to maintain their mask mandate through the end of this current school year. Solon Spring's vote represents one of the first schools in the area that has dropped their mask mandate.

The vote to end the mask mandate will also affect the coming summer session.  According to an article in the Superior Telegram, that session is "slated to begin June 14".  The end of the mask mandate for the current school year will extend in to the summer session as well.

As far as the expungement of COVID-19 related disciplinary actions, the action seems tied to the mask mandates (and the lifting of them).  According to Solon Springs Principal Holly Jones "[t]he majority of those disciplinary actions involve mask use."

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So how will this all affect next school year?  According to the article, "[b]oard members said they would revisit the question of mask use for the 2021-2022 school year at future meetings if necessary."