Lincoln Public Schools is adjusting face covering protocols a day after the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department announced the indoor mask mandate would be allowed to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.
Superintendent Dr. Steve Joel says face coverings will be required for all elementary students, staff, visitors, volunteers and families inside school buildings during the school day and before and after school regardless of vaccination status.
Joel says masks won’t be required inside middle and high school and all other LPS buildings, but masks are strongly recommended for students and staff.
“We believe face coverings have kept kids in school and kept our schools open, but we also understand that we have reached that point where many of our students have been vaccinated, many of our staff have been vaccinated.”
Face coverings will still be required at all times for students and staff on buses. LPS will review community conditions and vaccination rates with the health department by Jan. 30 to determine if the elementary face covering protocols will continue.
Dr. Joel says masks will be required for everyone in a middle or high school building for two weeks if 10% or more of its population is absent due to illness. LPS will this requirement will be communicated to families through email, phone calls and the LPS website.
The full pandemic plan can be found on the LPS website: lps.org/safereturn