No more masks? Here are MS Coast districts’ COVID plans for 2021-22 school year

Coast school districts are developing plans to reopen as the COVID-19 pandemic enters a new stage in Mississippi: the delta variant is dominant, cases and hospitalizations are ticking up, and vaccinations are stubbornly low.

A Sun Herald review of Coast school district’s preliminary plans for the 2021-22 school year found that many of last year’s pandemic protocols, like mandatory mask-wearing and virtual learning options, will be gone this year, though much could change before school starts for most districts in early August.

No district said they plan to require the vaccine for anyone, or to require students and teachers to report their vaccination status.

Children are at lower risk of contracting COVID-19 and suffering serious consequences from the virus, according to the CDC. But emerging variants, including the delta variant, could affect young people differently. Because a vaccine for kids under age 12 has not yet been approved, they may be at particular risk, doctors say.

On Tuesday, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs announced that seven children in Mississippi are in an ICU with COVID-19, two of whom are on ventilators. Since the pandemic began, three children under age 18 in the state have died of COVID-19.

Last week, Dobbs said that the state’s low vaccination rate, currently at about 33.4%, is helping the virus spread and increasing the danger even to those who have been vaccinated.

“Our collective undervaccination has put us all at risk,” he said.

Dr. Randy Roth, chief medical officer at Singing River Health System, said he recommends the vaccine to everyone 12 and older.

“I get that you’re giving something that was really developed quickly to your son or daughter,” he said. “But I think the data is really bulletproof. Your child is probably in more danger riding an ATV or a four-wheeler than getting the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.”

Under an executive order by Gov. Tate Reeves, students and teachers were required to wear masks for all of the last school year. But Reeves said in May that he does not anticipate a mask mandate this fall. On Tuesday, the Daily Journal of Tupelo reported that Reeves’ office reiterated he does not plan to mandate masks in schools.

Last week, the CDC recommended all unvaccinated people wear masks at school.

But on the Coast, almost every district will not require masks. (Many of those plans were released before the CDC issued its guidance on Friday.)

Roth said he wouldn’t be surprised if mask policies in particular evolve over the next few weeks.

Last year, nearly every district offered a virtual or distance learning option for anyone who wanted it. This year, only Gulfport and Ocean Springs will make it available to anyone. Most other districts will limit it to students who have a specific medical issue or consider requests on a limited basis.

In order to receive federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act, each district had to develop a “Safe Return Plan” describing plans for social distancing, mask wearing, and instruction in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak that sends students or a whole school home.

Here is information from each district’s current plan. As they did last year, plans are likely to evolve as the start of the school year approaches.

Bay St. Louis-Waveland

• Distance learning option: All students will learn traditionally, on campus.

• Masks: The plan published on May 28 states that masks will be required, but Superintendent Dr. Sandra Reed emphasized that this plan was published when the mask mandate was in effect and that the district will update and publish a new plan closer to the start of the school year, which will not require masks unless mandated by the governor.

• Quarantine protocols: Reed said this will be determined closer to the start of the school year.

• Other details: In an interview, Reed emphasized that the district will continue evaluating the spread of COVID-19 and medical guidance as the start of school approaches and make policies accordingly.

• Link to plan

Biloxi

• Distance learning option: Since vaccination is not an option for children under 12, virtual learning is available to students in kindergarten through sixth grade, only if the student has a medical diagnosis that prevents in-person attendance. The diagnosis must apply to the student, not to members of their household. The district will require an application, medical documentation and parent meeting with the school before approving a virtual learning request.
• Masks: The district will follow mandates from the governor.
• Quarantine protocols: Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 10 days. Unvaccinated staff and students who come into close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for a minimum of seven days.
• Other details: The district conducted vaccination fairs in June and July to distribute vaccines to staff and students over age 12.
• Link to plan

Gulfport

• Distance learning option: A Virtual Academy offers virtual learning for students who registered. Those who struggled academically last school year may not be eligible. Director of Instructional Programs Dr. Lea Bellon said the district found that last year, some virtual learning students thrived, and so Gulfport is continuing the program this year, and students aren’t necessarily choosing it for COVID-related health concerns. “Through this whole experience of COVID, we kind of opened a window into something that we don’t need to close until we further explore it,” she said.
• Masks: Mask wearing is “encouraged, but not required.” The district will follow executive orders regarding masks, and may require masks if an outbreak occurs at a school.
• Quarantine protocols: Close contacts of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 will isolate for up to 10 days if they are unvaccinated and within three feet of the infected individual. Staff and students who test positive will isolate for up to 10 days.
• Other details: Gulfport is switching to a year-round school schedule this year, with classes starting July 23.
• Link to plan

Hancock County

• Distance learning option: For students with “underlying health conditions,” the district will consider offering “instructional accommodations” on a case-by-case basis.
• Masks: Not required unless mandated by the state.
• Quarantine protocols: People who test positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for at least 10 days from the date of a positive test result. Close contacts must also quarantine for 10 days unless they are vaccinated, were masked for the duration of their exposure to the infected person, or have had COVID-19 and recovered within the last three months.
• Other details: Students’ temperatures will be checked daily as long as recommended by the CDC and the state health department. Employees are required to self-screen before arriving at work and should stay home if they have any symptoms.
• Link to plan

Harrison

• Distance learning option: A “medical homebound option” is available for students with serious medical conditions. Families should contact their principals starting July 22 for more information.
• Masks: Masks and face coverings are optional, but will be required if mandated by the governor.
• Quarantine protocols: Not discussed in plan published online. District public relations specialist Trang Pham-Bui said plans are still being finalized.
• Other details: Additional custodial staff hired last school year to clean school facilities more frequently will stay on the job “to assist with cleaning and sanitizing school facilities as often as possible.”
• Link to plan

Jackson County

• Distance learning option: The district’s instruction will be “as traditional as possible,” Superintendent John Strycker said.
• Masks: Not required, but the district “will follow all mandates handed down through official channels.”
• Quarantine protocols: Not discussed in the plan. Last year, the district did not require close contacts of people who tested positive for COVID-19 to quarantine. Strycker said the district will consider recommendations from the state health department. “Our goal is to have the kids in class as much as possible.”
• Other details: “There are no specific policies adopted by the Jackson County School District (JCSD) regarding the CDC safety recommendations. JCSD are committed to providing students and staff an environment as close to normal as possible while following federal, state, and local mandates related to COVID-19.”
• Link to plan

Long Beach

• Distance learning option: All schools will use “traditional, on-site, in-person learning.”
• Masks: Not required unless mandated by the governor.
• Quarantine protocols: Unvaccinated students and staff will be required to quarantine if they are a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Quarantine will last 10 days “if close contact is symptom free and was not tested,” and 14 days if the person who tested positive is household member of the close contact.
• Other details: Students are encouraged to bring and refill their own water bottles rather than using drinking fountains.
• Link to plan

Moss Point

• Distance learning option: Virtual learning options will be available for high school students who have completed MAAP tests required for graduation. Otherwise, all students will learn in person “unless there is a documented medical need to do otherwise.”
• Masks: The district plans to require masks, but the plan released in May noted “the CDC Guidelines and recommendations will be followed if and when masks are not required for non-vaccinated individuals.”
• Quarantine protocols: “Parents of students who have been exposed to a positive case will receive an “Exposure” letter from the school nurse notifying them of their child(ren)’s status and next steps.”
• Other details: Coastal Family Health is providing health care support for the district, with clinics at Moss Point High School and Magnolia Middle School. The district plans to offer COVID vaccines and testing throughout the year.
• Link to plan

Ocean Springs

• Distance learning option: Available with registration.
• Masks: Masks will be optional for everyone.
• Quarantine protocols: Students with COVID-19 symptoms will be immediately sent to the nurse’s office. Any student sent home with illness must be fever-free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school.
• Other details: The district will not ask students, teachers or staff for proof of vaccination.
• Link to plan

Pascagoula-Gautier

• Distance learning option: All students will learn traditionally, on campus. Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich said requests for virtual learning will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Masks: Masks are optional unless mandated by the governor.
• Quarantine protocols: Rodolfich said the district has not yet finalized its plans for whether and how close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases will be required to quarantine. He said the district will continue to track COVID-19 cases among students and staff as it did last year.
• Other details: The Pascagoula-Gautier plan specifies that doors will be left open to reduce exposure via door handles. The district asks parents to notify the school within three hours if a student tests positive for COVID-19.
• Link to plan

Pass Christian

• Distance learning option: The Pirate Electronic Learning Academy will be open to students “who have documented co-morbidities in the home or who are diagnosed with an illness that makes them more susceptible to COVID-19 and who are not eligible for vaccination — A district committee will make determination of assignment.”
• Masks: Not required for staff or students “at this time.” But the district recommends “non-vaccinated persons wear a face covering while in school buildings.”
• Quarantine protocols: Parents will be notified by letter or phone if their child is exposed to COVID-19. Students who test positive for COVID will be required to participate in online learning for 10 days. “Close contacts will be allowed to return to school and will be monitored for symptoms by the school nurse daily for changing health conditions.”
• Other details: Last year, the district says it recorded 86 student cases of COVID-19, “with approximately 97% of close contacts not becoming positive.”
• Link to plan

A pediatrician’s perspective

In July 2020, cases were surging toward their first peak in Mississippi, with a seven-day average well above 1,000 by the end of the month.

Parents, students and even teachers waited until a few days before the planned start of the year for Gov. Tate Reeves to announce he would not delay opening for most Mississippi schools. (Even so, two Coast districts decided on their own to open late.)

This year, cases are ticking up, but still below 500 most days, and there’s little discussion on the Coast that the school year will be delayed.

Dr. Andrea Logan, a pediatrician at Singing River, said the health effects of the pandemic on children have gone well beyond COVID-19 itself. In her own practice and in national data, she saw increases in children’s mental health issues as their activities and routines were upended.

She said she understands concerns about children’s safety at school, but thinks pandemic safety practices have come at a cost.

“It’s just as important to have our children have their childhood, as it is anything else,” she said.

Logan said she encourages parents of children 12 and older to get their kids vaccinated. While a single dose of Pfizer or Moderna offers little protection against the delta variant, a recent study found, fully vaccinated people are well-protected.

When Logan talks to the parents of younger children who are scared of exposing their kids to COVID-19, she tells them that viral infections among children are common, but rarely cause serious consequences.

“I understand parents are afraid, but there’s never going to be a time that it’s totally risk-free to send your child to a building full of other children,” she said.

Bay St. Louis-Waveland had not yet MADE A DETERMINATION ON MASKS FOR THE 2021-2022 school year. An earlier version of this story contained information from the plan published on May 28, when the mask mandate was in effect. Reed said the policy is LIKELY TO CHANGE.

This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 5:50 AM.

Isabelle Taft

Sun Herald

202-768-5650

Isabelle Taft covers communities of color and racial justice issues on the Coast through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms around the country.