Dear Bishop Ward families,
The Bishop Ward administration, with the support of our Board of Trustees, has decided to end our facemask mandate effective Monday, February 14. Here are the reasons and important details:
1. The Archdiocesan guidelines are for facemasks to be optional in our schools.
2. Cases are in decline in Wyandotte County (data and graphs here).
3. In our school, we had a spike in absenteeism due to Covid upon returning from Christmas break; right now absences are at low to normal levels.
4. Students and faculty retain the option to wear masks if they so desire, and some teachers will continue to require them in their classrooms. We have a bountiful supply of disposable masks, so teachers can have boxes of them in their rooms.
5. Ending the mandate will restore more normal human interactions, with all the communication that happens through facial expressions.
6. It is one step to relieve covid fatigue.
7. The mandate can always be reinstated if circumstances require it.
8. Children are the least at-risk demographic group for Covid.
9. Male students are to be clean shaven as required in the Bishop Ward dress code.
Feel free to contact me at jdunlap@wardhigh.org with any comments or concerns.
Take Care and God bless,
Jay Dunlap
President
Bishop Ward High School