Nixa School District students return to class with masks optional

NIXA, Mo. (KY3) - Nixa students went back to school Monday. School leaders made masks optional, leading to a wide variety of opinions. They adopted a policy with different levels.

The district will begin the year starting in Level 1, where masking is optional for students. They would move to level two and require masks if seven percent of a school tested positive or had to be quarantined. That school could then go back to optional masks if the number of positive cases and quarantines dropped back below four percent.

More than 300 people across the community signed a petition trying to convince the district to move to Level 2, requiring masks. However, not all who signed are parents of Nixa students. In a survey the school district conducted, 30% of parents believed masks should be optional, another 30% believed they should only be mandated if needed, another 33% thought they should be required in school buildings, while 7% thought masks should not be required at all.

“We are consistently monitoring every single day, every single week for this community, this area, and so now that we’re back in school, we will be monitoring all of those positive cases and quarantines and seeing if any adjustments need to be made,” said Zac Rantz, Nixa Public Schools Chief Communication Officer. “The purpose of the way the policy, or the plan, was built was to allow us to be flexible throughout the school year.”

The district is also taking other precautions, such as upgraded air filters, UV light systems, foggers, and social distancing.

You can read the district’s plan here: https://www.nixapublicschools.net/covid19

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