AVON, Ind. — Students will again be required to wear face masks in all Avon schools.
The school district notified families Wednesday that masks would be mandatory in all buildings starting Thursday, Dec. 9. Avon Community Schools Corporation Superintendent Dr. Scott Wyndham said the decision was made when the Indiana State Department of Health updated its COVID-19 advisory map on Wednesday and Hendricks County remained at a red advisory level for a second consecutive week.
Under school district protocols, the second week of "red" status for the county meant masks would be mandated.
Because of the mask mandate, Wyndham said, quarantines will not be necessary for students in fully masked environments in the schools.
"This will help greatly in preventing students from being quarantined through final exams and the remaining seven school days until winter break begins," Wyndham wrote to parents.
Avon schools had enacted a mask mandate in late August, but rescinded the requirement at the district's middle and high schools last month. Students in Avon's elementary and intermediate schools were still required to wear a mask.
Wyndham said the newest mask mandate would be in effect through the end of the semester and the district will re-evaluate the situation during winter break and notify parents Dec. 29 or 30 of the status of the mask mandate before students return to class Jan. 4.
Masks will be required in all schools until Hendricks County is in an orange advisory status or lower for two straight weeks.
Currently, about half of Indiana's 92 counties are under the red advisory status. In the latest report, Hendricks County had 439 weekly cases per 100,000 residents and a 7-day positivity rate (among all tests) of 15.75%.