On Friday, May 14, Archuleta School District Superintendent Kym LeBlanc-Esparza sent her regular memo, which included the following commentary on the district’s ever-evolving COVID mask policy:

CDC Mask Guidance
I’m sure you’ve all seen the CDC’s announcement, the President’s announcement, and a slew of other news articles about the CDC’s shift in focus on masks for those of us who are vaccinated. They clarified that there are areas that still need masks, such as hospitals, all national airports, etc. However, they do not have public schools…. BUT, our governor held a press conference this afternoon regarding masks… .. According to Governor Polis, if you are vaccinated, you are no longer required to wear a mask. If you are not vaccinated, it is still recommended, but will no longer be needed. This applies to MOST settings, but the exceptions are hospitals, public transportation, correctional facilities and SCHOOLS.

Educational guidance belongs to individual districts, according to the governor. He said educators and vaccinated staff could be allowed to stop wearing masks; again, it’s up to school districts according to the governor.

The principals and I therefore met today to discuss the governor’s new directions. We have decided that we will honor the governor’s directive. If you are vaccinated, you are no longer required to wear a mask at school. If you are not vaccinated, it is recommended that you continue to wear your mask, however we will not address this choice, it is up to you. We will apply this same logic to students, unless mandates from local health authorities cause us to change our plan. Right now the plan is to allow everyone to make their choice, but we recommend that you continue to wear a mask if you are not vaccinated.

A few miles west, at the community district licensed charter school – Pagosa Peak Open School – school principal Angela Reali-Crossland sent her own memo to the PPOS families:

Dear PPOS families,

I have been struggling with an issue since Friday and wanted to update you. Over the past few days, guidelines from the CDC and the governor have changed, particularly around masks. These tips are certainly a confirmation that masks at PPOS will likely be very different next year and that we are on the verge of removing our mask requirement.

The question I struggled with is what to do with the masks in our school. No matter what is decided, a group of people will not agree. So it looks like a no-win situation.

After much thought and thought, I want to let you know that PPOS will not have any changes to our mask procedures at this time. Students aged 11 and over and all staff will wear masks in the building, with mask breaks.

Let me share some of the reasons for this decision:

PPOS character traits include care and community. I have asked several families to decide to do in-person learning this year explicitly stating that they feel comfortable with what we have in place to keep their families safe. Making a mid-term decision that members of our community didn’t expect doesn’t sound like a benevolent act.

I sincerely wish that all students in person can complete the last few weeks of the year in school and not in quarantine. So far this year, no reviews have been quarantined. Our goal was to provide as much in-person learning as possible and I would hate to have any notices that need to be quarantined here as the end of the school year approaches.

Current guidelines from the San Juan Basin Department of Public Health still recommend masks in schools, even elementary school.

The COVID positivity rate for Archuleta County is 6%, which is concerning when trying to protect students and their families.

I will continue to watch the situation and maybe adjust our mask situation before the end of the school year. I don’t expect the students to be masked next year. I expect we can get the reviews to interact again. I believe we will have more fieldwork opportunities and more opportunities to bring volunteers and parents into the building. This is why a decision in our last few weeks has been so difficult.

Thank you for working with us during such a strange and difficult school year. I know that “staying the course” these last few weeks will bring different opinions. I’m just asking you to acknowledge that the decision was considered and taken into consideration.

It’s a school year none of us will ever forget. Thank you for being excellent collaborators. Our students were able to flourish despite all obstacles.