EASTON, Maine — The Easton School Department has chosen to mandate masks indoors in response to recent COVID-19 cases in the school community.
In a memo released Friday, Superintendent Mark Stanley said that 30 students and staff members are quarantining due to exposure to COVID-19, though both the elementary and high school remain open.
The high level of COVID-19 cases locally, students’ travels to athletic games and technical centers and the lack of vaccines for elementary students all played a role in the mask decision, he said.
“This decision has not been made lightly,” Stanley said. “Easton School Department has been in session for eight days. In that time, we have seen a steady increase in the infection rate of COVID-19 in the area.”
The mask mandate will be in place until at least Sept. 17, the first day of the district’s harvest break. According to Stanley, school administration will reevaluate the mask guidelines prior to classes resuming on Oct. 12.
Easton’s decision comes amid a rising number of students and school staff quarantining due to COVID-19 exposure.
SAD 32 superintendent Gehrig Johnson in Ashland announced that 10 students are quarantining after coming into contact with a student who has tested positive. That student likely was exposed to COVID-19 at an athletic event at Ashland Community School on Aug. 23, Johnson said.
According to a memo from Johnson, Ashland Community School is still on track to start classes Tuesday, Sept. 7. Johnson did not indicate whether the district would begin mandating masks, which are currently optional.
