Palmerton Area School District on Thursday announced that face coverings will be mandatory for students, employees and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, when school opens on Monday.

The mandate will be in effect through Oct. 5.

In a letter to parents, Superintendent Dr. Jodi Frankelli said the decision was made “in response to the most recent data and recommendations from our local health and medical experts.”

“Local health and medical professionals have provided guidance and issued recommendations for the safe reopening of schools,” Frankelli said. “To maximize in-person instruction and minimize quarantine related absences, required face coverings is an additional strategy to help accomplish these goals. I respect and value the medical expertise and guidance provided by our local medical professionals during this challenging time. Their recommendations emphasize the importance of face coverings as a valuable and necessary mitigation strategy.”

Updated COVID-19 related information will be reviewed at the Oct. 5 school board workshop, the letter stated, and the face covering requirement may be extended if/as needed.

Face coverings are also required on school buses as part of a federal public transportation mandate.

Frankelli said numerous factors impacted the decision to mandate masks for the beginning of the year.

“The number of new COVID-19 cases in Carbon County has steadily increased since our current health and safety plan was school board approved in July, and the district has been directly impacted,” she said. “As of today, there are 11 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the district and 26 others are in quarantine. These 37 people represent a combination of students and employees. Although our students are not back in the classroom yet, we do have active COVID-positive cases in multiple extracurricular groups that have been practicing during the last week.”

Carbon County’s COVID-19 level of community transmission is currently classified as “high” on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID data tracker and “substantial” on the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s monitoring dashboard.

“As (Palmerton’s) superintendent, the well-being and safety of all students and employees is of paramount importance to me,” Frankelli said. “I appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we navigate these challenging times.”