Masks will be optional in Palmerton Area School District buildings this year after the school board unanimously approved the district’s 2021-22 health and safety plan Tuesday night.

Palmerton joins other districts around the area such as Jim Thorpe and Lehighton in leaving the decision to wear masks in class up to the parents and students.

“We went with the least restrictive approach,” Dr. Jodi Frankelli, Palmerton superintendent said during Tuesday’s meeting. “Carbon County is doing well and has had low COVID-19 community transmission levels for the first few weeks in July. Those numbers have come down a long way and we wanted to give the parents the control as far as masks go instead of the school board and administration telling them what to do.”

Masks will still be required in the nurses’ office, the health suite and the isolation/quarantine rooms in the individual school buildings. Students will also be required to wear masks on the school bus, whether that be to and from school, sporting events, field trips, etc.

“I don’t think it makes any sense for them to have wear masks on the bus if they don’t have to wear them in school or playing sports or in any other activities,” director Earl Paules said.

The requirement is part of a federal mandate that calls for anyone riding public transportation, which school buses are considered, to mask up.

“If that federal order changes at any point,” Frankelli said, “it’s easy enough for us to take that requirement out of the health and safety plan.”

The 2021-22 health and safety plan is a highly condensed version of the sometimes 40- to 50-page document the district worked off last year. The philosophy has flipped 180 degrees.

“Last year, COVID-19 was the top item and we built educational procedures around that,” Frankelli said. “This year, that is flipped. Education is at the forefront and we’re fitting COVID-19 practices under that.”

Social distancing will be followed to the greatest extent feasible and appropriate. “That is going to vary by classroom building and location,” Frankelli said. “We’re not putting a specific number on the feet you have to be apart.”

The district has a cleaning plan which calls for increased airflow and ventilation again this year.

There are also no major changes to the contact tracing and quarantine protocols.

With the district health and safety plan approved, individual schools will begin creating building level procedures.

The district and St. Luke’s University Health Network are partnering to provide an on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinic.

The clinic will be held in the Palmerton Area High School gymnasium from 4 to 6 p.m., with the first shot taking place on July 27 and the second shot on Aug. 17.

All Palmerton school district employees, students 12 years old and older, parents/guardians/family members, and any other community members 12 years old and above are eligible to attend.

Appointments are necessary to take part in the vaccination clinic and can be made by calling Leanne Samok at 610-377-7001.

Palmerton students will not be required to receive the vaccine in order to attend school.