First enacting a mask mandate in late August following a week that had gone mostly virtual, Burns Flat-Dill City Public Schools has decided to end its mask mandate.
The move to end the mask mandate is due in part to BFDC Schools being able to lower their COVID cases between both highschool and elementary buildings according to a statement put out by Superintendent Larry Johnson on Thursday, October 21.
“With masks, we were able to stop the spread in its tracks. We continue to monitor the number of COVID cases in our community and that number has steadily dropped,” Johnson said. “We now feel that it is safe for us to stop wearing masks. We will maintain other mitigating processes and policies to keep our students protected.”
When the mandate was first enacted, BFDC Schools had had a total of 15 COVID cases in the first week and a half of the current school year.
“As you know back in August, we were faced with a rampant spreading of COVID throughout both buildings,” Johnson said. “More students were ill during that first week than were ill during the entirety of last school year. “
Currently, the towns of Burns Flat and Dill City have a combined total of two active COVID cases according to data put out by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
While the BFDC Schools’ mask mandate is over, Johnson said that students are free to con tinue wearing masks if they would like, and that the school could enact another mandate should the need arise.
“We will strongly encourage anyone who wants to wear a mask to wear one,” Johnson said. “We sincerely hope that mask wearing will no longer be needed, but we reserve the right to return to masks if another outbreak occurs as did after Thanksgiving last year.”
Utimately, students and faculty at BFDC Schools will have to wait and see how COVID cases progress as we inch closer to the colder and holiday seasons.
“We greatly appreciate everyone’s understanding and support during these unprecedented times,” Johnson said. “It is wonderful to work in a community that puts kids first as ours does.