Chamois R-1 school board members at their meeting last Wednesday voted to continue the school district’s Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Service Plan (SRCSP), which requires masks for all high school and junior high school students when they cannot social distance and all staff members. Elementary students are encouraged but not required to wear masks under the school policy. 

The main change to the school district’s SRCSP was that there is a “test-to-stay” policy that was created by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA). This new program allows the school to test students and staff that were close contacts to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Students and staff can choose to test for three non-consecutive days and if they test negative and do not have COVID-19 symptoms, they can remain in school and participate in extracurricular activities. Recently, this has allowed the district to keep 14 of 15 students in school due to a close contact where before this policy was adopted those students would have been automatically quarantined for two weeks. 

Students and staff that are identified as a close contacts are required to wear a mask in situations where they can not socially distance. Because of this policy, Chamois was able to participate in a recent basketball game even though those affected students were required to wear masks to play.

Board member Glenn Keilholz questioned the safety of students wearing masks while they were actively playing a sport.

“It’s not our school policy,” Principal Jeremy McKague pointed out. “We are just following the county’s policy.”

“So those kids are breathing in all of that carbon dioxide?” Keilholz asked.

“MSHSAA was a part of creating that policy,” Superintendent Lyle Best reminded board members. “The statement was made that if they see a school that is not following the rules, they would exclude them from playing all MSHSAA-sponsored events.”

“I don’t have anything against the kids wearing (masks) in school but I’m against them wearing them for basketball,” Keilholz said. “I’m concerned with the kids wearing a mask when they are out there running.”

“But the thing about the mask at the sporting event is we can’t control that,” McKague said. “That’s not our decision.”

“And I will tell you, scientifically, you have no less oxygen with a mask on then you do without one,” McKague continued. “I know it might not feel like it and people think that but the oxygen level is the same.”

“I’m getting tired of the masks,” board member Kris Wuelling said.

“There are two other public schools in the county and they are not masking,” President Steve Cramer said. “Both of them are much larger than us. We are all under the same county health organization. It’s very confusing. I know we can’t do anything about other schools but it seems like our school is always following the rules.”

Board members plan to revisit the SRCSP next month. Everyone agreed the goal is to keep students and staff safe and in school.