Students who headed back to school in Timaru on Monday were being “strongly” encouraged to wear masks but not ordered to.
While the Ministry of Education is advising schools to create a compulsory mask wearing policy for students year 4 and above, the general stance of schools in the Timaru area was encouraging, but not enforcing mask usage within the school, mainly due to low Covid-19 numbers.
Steve Fennessy, principal of Grantlea Downs School said students went back on Monday and “at this stage, strongly recommend [mask usage] is the line that we are using”.
Fennessy said staff and students were mostly masked up, but that it had “taken some reminders” for students.
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“It is hard to continue to do it, it’s hard for students all the time.
“Because it’s not mandatory, but encouraged, it’s difficult.”
Fennessy said any decision to make masks mandatory at the school rests with its board which meets in week four and eight of each school term.
“It will be on the agenda.”
Masks were also strongly encouraged but not mandatory at Craighead Diocesan School, according to principal Lindy Graham.
“All students must carry masks with them, and they are to be worn at any gatherings – such as chapel services and assemblies.
“We are requiring Year 12 and 13 students to wear them indoors/in classes as we have our formal (ball) on this Friday, so we want to ensure this goes ahead as planned.
“Our students are generally very good at complying with mask wearing requirements as they understand the need to protect vulnerable members of the wider community from Covid or the flu – although they would obviously prefer not to have to wear them.
“We are monitoring the situation daily, and will adapt and respond as required. The School also has a supply of Ministry of Education-supplied masks available, which is very helpful.”
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Timaru Boys’ High School rector Dave Thorp says they will closely monitor Covid cases.
At Timaru Boys’ High, the recommendations were considered, but for the time being kept voluntary due to low Covid cases.
“There was a lot of Covid earlier on,” rector Dave Thorp said.
“But we only had two kids (with Covid) in the last week of term (two).”
In email sent out to all parents on July 22, Thorp said voluntary mask wearing would continue for Term 3 for the time being.
“However, we will closely monitor Covid-19 cases and will reinstate compulsory mask wearing immediately if numbers start rising and a second wave seems likely,” the email said.
“The ministries of health and education have strongly recommended that compulsory mask wearing is reinstated in all schools for the next 4 weeks.
“However, there is no actual mask mandate from the Government, and they are leaving the decision to individual schools.
Timaru South School principal, Brandon Payne said a large percentage of students had already contracted Covid-19 and the school was not mandating mask-wearing.
Payne was not aware of any school students currently having Covid-19.
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Timaru South School principal Brandon Payne said they would continue to encourage mask usage.
“At this stage, we are following their advice [Ministry of Health] and encouraging mask usage in the classroom.”
Kenny Diamond, principal at Mountainview High, said the school’s current stance on masks involved encouraging use in classrooms and compulsory wearing in large gatherings like assemblies.
“The vast majority are happy to wear the masks to keep themselves safe.”
Diamond said the school board was meeting Tuesday evening to discuss, which might result in a change of policy for Wednesday morning.
In the last few weeks of term two, the school was averaging 14 new cases of Covid, but the number of students contracting the flu had been much higher.
Bejon Haswell/Stuff
Mountainview High School principal Kenny Diamond found cases of the flu were higher than Covid-19 at the end of term two. (File photo)
Chris Comeau, principal of Roncalli College said they were “following the advice and guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education.”
A spokesperson from Waimataitai School also said “we are encouraging but not enforcing” mask usage and “quite a few” students were wearing them.
Over at the early childhood centres, which were filled with children outside the age-bracket from Ministry of Health’s recommendations.
Amy Pateman, manager at Creative Corner Early Learning Centre manager said “we’re managing to keep some illness at bay”.
“We are doing all the health and safety measures for Covid. Parents have to be masked at all times.”
Pateman said, they have “high expectations” of the wellness of the children coming into their care
Pateman said the learning centre hadn’t had many cases of Covid since the last peak.
“Touch wood,” Pateman said.