BEXLEY, Ohio — Some Bexley Schools parents have called on the district to change masking to optional.
In a school board meeting Wednesday night, the debate over masking continued. Part of the argument for parents in favor of making masking optional is that the district is in the minority of districts still requiring masks in its schools.
The latest numbers from the Ohio Department of Education show almost 70% of districts have made masks optional and about 28% of districts have mandatory masking. The department also accounts for the percentage of students in Ohio by number; about half have optional masking.
Parents also submitted a petition with more than 400 signatures in which parents are asking for masking and physical distancing requirements to end on February 22.
Bexley Superintendent Dr. Jason Fine said he doesn't think the district is ready to ditch the masks just yet. He said since winter break, an average of about 16% of staff members are calling out each day.
Dr. Fine said he is looking to come up with ways to gauge when the masking policy should be changed, including looking at case rates, vaccination rates and attendance.
“We are committed to finding that offramp and creating a process for what that offramp is, based on the information that we have,” Dr. Fine said.
Dr. Fine said he might also want to start by removing masks for after-school activities first, but said numbers would need to be lower for that to happen.