PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is making masks mandatory for students and staff when the new school year begins.
In a letter to parents, Archdiocese spokesman Ken Gavin said the decision was made because of the continued spread of the delta variant of COVID-19.
The decision applies to elementary, secondary and special education schools in the Philadelphia area. Gavin said the Archdiocese realizes masking may be difficult, but it is doing its best to meet the varied needs of its students. He said it is hoped that the mask mandate will be temporary, and the policy will be reviewed every two weeks.
In the letter to families of secondary school students, the Archdiocese encouraged vaccination for every eligible member of the household, linking to a video from Pope Francis in which he and other Catholic leaders characterized vaccination as an act of love and charity.
The full statement from Gavin follows:
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia looks forward to welcoming our students who attend parish and regional elementary schools, secondary schools, and schools of special education back for the 2021-2022 academic year. Archdiocesan schools located throughout the five-county region will have full in-person instruction, five days a week.
Given the continued presence of COVID-19 and the high-level transmissibility rates associated with the Delta variant, particularly among the unvaccinated in our communities, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the health and safety of our students, faculty, administrators, and staff.
Following the advice of the CDC, the guidance of all local health departments encompassing the metropolitan area, and in the interest of ensuring a safe return to school, we will be requiring the use of masks for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors. This decision was recently communicated to elementary, secondary, and special education families who received letters about plans for the safe reopening of school.
We hope this requirement will be temporary. Senior administrators from OCE will review this policy every two weeks based on the level of community transmission, which may vary county to county. As with last year, plans will remain nimble pending the evolving pandemic landscape. Flexibility and parent partnership will be key. Our goals remain to provide a safe learning environment while delivering a high quality Catholic education.
We realize that this may be difficult for our school families, however we are committed to our students’ academic, faith, social, and emotional development. Please be assured that we are doing our best to meet the varied needs.
We remain grateful to local health officials as well as school administrators, faculty, staff, and families for working with us as partners in school safety during these uncertain times.