Karns City Area School District issued the following announcement.
Dear Parents/Guardians,
This is a reminder, as per the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), all students, staff and visitors to Karns City Area Schools will be required to wear a face covering when in school and on the school bus (https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/safeschools/emergencyplanning/COVID19/Waivers/MaskWearing/Pages/default.aspx).
If your child has a medical exemption, your child’s school will need to be notified prior to the start of school year so they can begin to develop the appropriate documentation in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).
Accommodations for students with medical exemptions will be made in partnership with the student's health care provider and professional school staff, including the school nurse.
It is also requested that any students exempt from wearing a mask be transported to and from school by a parent or guardian.
To be clear, face covering means a covering of the nose and mouth that is secured to the head with ties, straps or loops over the ears or is wrapped around the lower face.
A face covering can be made of a variety of synthetic or natural fabrics, including cotton, silk or linen, and, for the purposes of the order, can include a plastic face shield that covers the nose and mouth.
We recognize that wearing a mask while in school will be a new experience for most of our students.
We will be working with students to make this a positive experience and providing built-in mask breaks during the day while utilizing social distancing.
At this time, we encourage families to begin acclimating students to wearing the mask so they will have a greater familiarity with it prior to the physical return of school.
This includes increased periods of time in having the mask properly covering the nose and mouth.
For excellent resources and tips on helping your child discuss, choose and acclimate to a mask,
please view these resources:
• Masks Toolkit - https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/strong-center-developmentaldisabilities/resources/masks-toolkit.aspx
• Dr. Darria’s Mask-Wearing-for-Kids Guide - https://drdarria.com/childrenandcovidmasks/
• Wearing a Mask Social Story - https://paautism.org/resource/wearing-mask-social-story/
• 7 tips to help your child wear a face mask - https://www.childrens.com/health-wellness/7-tips-to-helpyour-child-wear-a-face-mask We appreciate your continued cooperating during this time.
We will get through this together.
Sincerely,
Karns City Area School District Administration
Original source can be found here.
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