• City schools to require masks but not vaccines.

Safety plan a response to rise in delta variant

The upcoming school year may bring back a semblance of normalcy that has been absent from the Pittsburgh Public Schools since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with students attending class in person five days a week, all levels of sports resuming and extracurricular activities expected to return.

But students, staff and others who enter district facilities will only have to look as far as the tip of their own noses to be reminded the coronavirus still remains present in society.

City schools officials held an online forum Monday evening to share their health and safety plan with the public, which includes a mask mandate in school buildings and on buses for children and adults regardless of vaccination status.

“Ultimately, we want to come back in some form or fashion five days a week to get back to a bit of normalcy,” Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said. “But with the [COVID-19] delta variant blowing up, with everyone not vaccinated, we want to try to keep everyone as safe as possible and in school five days a week. That includes our faculty and staff, our students and our community.”

The district’s decision to enforce universal mask wearing strays from recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that said students who have been vaccinated can forgo the face coverings.

The American Association of Pediatrics, however, published recommendations Monday that said everyone who is 2 or older should wear face masks because many in school communities are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine.

None of the vaccines available in the United States have been approved for children under 12 years old.

For students with individualized education plans or medical concerns, accommodations can be made for the mask requirement.

The mask mandate is only one of the health and safety measures the school system plans to implement this year. The district’s plan relies heavily on social distancing.

Social distancing will continue for students in learning spaces, hallways and cafeterias, though it will be reduced from 6 feet to 3 feet.

The distance between adults and children or other adults will remain at 6 feet.

Screens will be installed in labs and shops with fixed equipment where social distancing is not possible, and desk shields will be given to teachers and service providers.

District officials said they will encourage teachers to hold classes outside when possible. Masks will not be required for outdoor activities — including recess and sports — but social distancing will still be enforced.

The district said it will schedule bathroom breaks for elementary students to adhere to social distancing guidelines, with “age-appropriate” protocols for emergency bathroom visits.

Art, music and theater classes will take place, the district said, but students will have to wear masks and practice social distancing when possible. Gym class sizes will be limited, and any equipment that is used will be sanitized after each class.

The district said it plans to open athletic events to spectators on a facility-by-facility basis. Students who participate in indoor sports must wear masks when they are on the sidelines and not involved in a physical activity.

School buses will return to pre-pandemic capacities, but students must wear masks and will be assigned seats.

District administration said it intends to place the health and safety plan before the school board for approval at a July 28 meeting. City residents can comment on the plan at a public hearing scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday.

District officials said the mask wearing, social distancing and other protocols they want to put in place will create a layered defense against COVID-19 for the school community.

“There’s a lot of staff and students that have not been able to get vaccinated yet,” said Michael McNamara, the district’s interim operations chief, “so we’re really just trying to protect our students.”