Ecker Hill became the third campus to trigger the county mask mandate Wednesday, passing the 2% mark of active cases on that campus within a 14-day period. Parley's Park Elementary School is in its third week of mandated masks and Trailside Elementary began two weeks of mandatory masks this week.
COVID cases are rising countywide in all age groups. County Health Director Phil Bondurant said there were 176 cases recorded last week. Of those, 155 are among unvaccinated people.
Following is the letter from EHMS Principal Amy Jenkins to families:
November 17, 2021
Dear EHMS families,
Per Summit County Public Health Order (2021-01), Legal Code (26A-1-114 & 26A-1-102) section 3, “Face-Coverings and Face-Shields are mandatory in the event that 2% of the school population (inclusive of students, faculty, and administrative staff) on any Middle School campus have tested positive for COVID-19 during an 14-day period (the Threshold Trigger); Face-Covering, or Face Shields will be required for all students, faculty, and administrative staff during the school day, including after school extra-curricular activities, at the school’s campus until the incidents are lower than the Threshold Trigger as determined by the Health Officer.”
As of 11/17/21 at 10:00 AM, Ecker Hill Middle School administration has been contacted by the Summit County Health Department that we have met the threshold trigger and the mandatory mask order for all students, staff, and administrative staff and the mandate is to go into effect immediately. We are informing your child(ren) that the mask mandate is beginning. Each student will be provided with a mask if they do not already have one. It is understood that proper wearing a mask will be part of their regular school day. Our staff will also share information about why the mask mandate is in place with all students.
Students must meet one of the following criteria to be in school:
- Wear a face mask or face shield (both are allowed).
- Participate in schooling from home using the school’s LMS (Canvas) to access CORE lessons.
- Complete and provide mask exemption paperwork completed by a qualified medical professional. (Please contact AP Melissa Tschabrun (6th grade) or AP Martin Briggs (7th grade) for this form.)
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding. We will continue to watch our positive COVID-19 case rate and work to keep all students, staff, and administrative staff as safe as possible.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 435-645-5610
Sincerely,
Amy Jenkins
Principal