Cedar Rapids school district releases criteria for when mask mandate may end

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - The Cedar Rapids Community School District on Friday sent a letter to families outlining its criteria for when it may end its mask mandate.

It comes after the district decided to reinstate its mask mandate last week after an Iowa judge temporarily halted enforcement of the state’s mask mandate ban.

The district said it plans on considering these metrics before making a determination about ending the mandate:

Upon notification of a change/cancellation of the temporary injunction to Iowa Law that restricts enforcement of masking, CRCSD will no longer require masks be worn by students and staff during the compulsory school day.
Linn County 7 day positivity rate below 14%
Linn County transmission level, as defined by IDPH, below “epidemic level” (currently epidemic level)
CRCSD COVID-19 positivity rate below 2%
Linn County 0-17 age group reported cases below 10%
Potential Future Determining Factor: Vaccination Status:
Students age 12 and over have access to vaccinations
Secondary Schools: If our district gains the access to the data to determine a school has better than 50% immunization rate, then we could use that as a determining factor
Elementary Schools: When the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to students and we have access to the data to determine a school has better than 50% immunization rate, that could be a determining factor

If the district does end the mask requirement, it said it may consider reinstating school site specific temporary mask requirements based on the following criteria:

● ≥2% of students are actively COVID-19 positive at an individual school at the time of weekly data collection
● The 5-school-day average daily attendance for illness is ≥8%.

If the district does implement a temporary mask mandate based on these criteria, it said it will reconsider the mandate after 10 days to determine if it should be extended.

The district also said it will follow the law if there is a change or cancellation of the temporary injunction to Iowa’s law banning mask mandates.

Find COVID-19 data in Linn County here.