November 23, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians:

On November 17, 2020, the Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Requiring Universal Face Coverings was updated and released.Please visit www.whsdk12.com to view the updated Order.In the Order, one major change was made in regard to the type of face covering that will be permitted in school.Specifically, in the past Orders, face shields were included as one of the options for a face covering.As per this order, face shields are no longer an option.As reported in the order, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised there is currently not enough evidence to determine how much protection a face shield provides to individuals around the person wearing the face shield, because of gaps where respiratory droplets may escape.

What does this mean for Wayne Highlands School District?Effective immediately, all students are required to wear masks to school, according to the Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health released on November 17, 2020.As stated in the PA Department of Health’s Frequently Asked Questions document, this Order pertains to all students (two years old and older), staff and visitors while in school.Please note, as per the Order, there is no change to the exception that children two years old and older are required to wear a face covering unless they have a medical or mental health condition or disability, documented in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), that precludes the wearing of a face covering in school.Reasonable accommodations must be made for students, staff, employees and visitors who state they have a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that makes it unreasonable for the person to maintain a face covering.

The Order continues to provide for circumstances whereby students are permitted to remove their face coverings to include:when eating or drinking when spaced at least six feet apart, when wearing a face covering creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task, or when at least six feet apart during “face-covering breaks” to last no longer than 10 minutes.

Please know that I fully understand how difficult these recent times have been for so many of us.At Wayne Highlands, we continue to be proud of the plan that we have in place, striving to do everything we can to keep in-person learning an option.This Order is another necessary step that will assist us in staying on the path we are currently on.I remain grateful and thankful for your continued cooperation and understanding.

Regardless of the situation we are all in, my best wishes to all of you for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

GREGORY FRIGOLETTO
District Superintendent

Universal Face Coverings - Updated Order - November 17, 2020