HARTLAND (WWJ) -- After several students tested positive for COVID-19, a mask mandate has been put into place at one Hartland elementary school.
In a letter released on Wednesday, Hartland Consolidated Schools superintendent Chuck Hughes said that staff and students at Round Elementary School must wear face masks indoors through Labor Day.
After Sept. 6, the Livingston County district will then reevaluate the mandate, which comes in response to six students testing positive for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, 122 other students that may have come into contact with their peers are currently in quarantine.
“My number one goal for the 2021-22 school year is to ensure an environment exists that facilitates learning for all children in the school district,” Hughes wrote. “Please know that I am aware that not everyone agrees with the decisions being made to make this goal a reality. All I can ask is that if you disagree with one decision or another, that you do what is best for you and your family while we work as a district to move forward.”
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While face masks remain optional for Hartland School District, the letter notes that 25 cases of coronavirus have been reported among its seven schools since August 17, including nine cases at the high school.
Read the full letter from Hartland Consolidated Schools superintendent Chuck Hughes here
The Michigan Health Department strongly recommends “universal masking” in all schools this fall, but has left the individual school districts to decide whether or not to enforce mask mandates among staff and students.
Because many students have not been vaccinated and students under age 12 are not yet eligible, MDHHS said "layered prevention measures" must be put in place for consistent in-person learning to keep kids, staff and families safe.
The guidance has been updated to reflect the most current recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on masking and prevention strategies to help operate schools more safely.
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