Blaine County School District lifts mask mandate

HAILEY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The Blaine County School Board voted unanimously today to remove mask mandates throughout the school district.

The vote came during a special session, the first-ever held on a Sunday, and came due to renewed CDC guidance released on Friday.

The board says the decision, and all previous decisions were made with the students in mind, saying the goal is always to keep the schools functioning as normally as possible.

“The goal has always been to slow or control the rate of transmission within our buildings,” said Board Chair Keith Roark, “so that we could continue to have sufficient teachers and support staff available to actually stand at the head of the classroom and teach.”

A motion was discussed at the end of the meeting that suggests mask mandates could be brought back, but only if viral spread becomes so out of control that masking is once again in the best interest of the board.

But, for the foreseeable future, masks are no longer needed in Blaine County Schools.

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