West Ada School District parents continued over the past seven days to submit mask opt-out forms to the district office or their own schools, but at a slower rate than in weeks before.
About 36% of West Ada’s 40,000 students have chosen to turn in opt-out forms, making mask-wearing optional for them. The rate grew by just three percentage points from Aug. 31.
Most schools saw a two or three percentage point increase over the last seven days. Meridian Academy (13% to 24%) and Meridian High (25% to 35%) saw more dramatic changes.
Paramount Elementary has a 63% opt-out rate, the highest in the district. It is one of nine West Ada schools with an opt-out rate of more than half of its students. Six schools have an opt-out rate lower than 20%.
The state’s largest school district made masks optional for students at an Aug. 24 meeting, so long as their parent or legal guardian fills out an opt-out form.
Staff members are not required to wear masks, or complete an opt-out form
West Ada Chief Human Resources Officer Dave Roberts sent an email to staff on Friday, clarifying district policy. Some building leaders gave teachers and other staff members opt-out forms to complete, unnecessarily, Roberts wrote. The opt-out forms are only necessary for students.
“We do not think an opt-out form is necessary for any staff, based on our current practices,” Roberts wrote.
His communication went on to encourage teachers to:
- Sanitize your hands as you enter the classroom.
- Space student desks as much as possible.
- Pod students in your classrooms where distancing is not possible.
- Remind students to maintain distance between each other as much as possible.
- Remind students NOT TO SHARE laptops or computer keyboards, drinks, food, snacks, gum, writing utensils, tissues, face masks, make-up, chap stick, eating utensils, musical instruments, or personal items.
- Student desks, chairs, keyboards, or other items frequently touched at the student’s desk should be cleaned between use by different students.
Roberts also encouraged teachers to wear a mask as much as possible and “always if you are going to be within six (6) feet of students or other staff members.”
West Ada’s current school-by-school student opt-out percentages are as follows:
- Andrus Elementary: 33%
- Barbara Morgan STEM Academy: 27%
- Centennial High: 21%
- Central Academy: 20%
- Chaparral Elementary: 30%
- Chief Joseph Elementary: 33%
- Christine Donnell School of the Arts: 35%
- Crossroads Middle: 28%
- Desert Sage Elementary: 18%
- Discovery Elementary: 34%
- Eagle Academy: 22%
- Eagle Elementary: 51%
- Eagle High: 50%
- Eagle Hills Elementary: 45%
- Eagle Middle: 49%
- Frontier Elementary: 16%
- Galileo STEM Academy: 49%
- Heritage Middle: 45%
- Hillsdale Elementary: 44%
- Hunter Elementary: 56%
- Idaho Fine Arts Academy: 39%
- Joplin Elementary: 33%
- Lake Hazel Elementary: 35%
- Lake Hazel Middle: 28%
- Lewis & Clark Middle: 26%
- Lowell Scott Middle: 22%
- Mary McPherson Elementary: 36%
- McMillan Elementary: 18%
- Meridian Academy: 24%
- Meridian Elementary 21%
- Meridian High: 35%
- Meridian Middle: 32%
- Mountain View High: 33%
- Owyhee High: 52%
- Paramount Elementary: 63%
- Pathways Middle: 34%
- Pepper Ridge Elementary: 28%
- Peregrine Elementary: 25%
- Pioneer Elementary: 30%
- Pleasant View Elementary: 54%
- Ponderosa Elementary: 41%
- Prospect Elementary: 42%
- Rebound High: 17%
- Renaissance High: 19%
- River Valley Elementary: 29%
- Rocky Mountain High: 44%
- Sawtooth Middle: 54%
- Seven Oaks Elementary: 41%
- Siena Elementary: 35%
- Silver Sage Elementary: 22%
- Spalding Elementary: 26%
- Star Elementary 54%
- Star Middle: 53%
- Summerwind Elementary: 20%
- Ustick Elementary: 17%
- Victory Middle: 39%
- Virtual School House (online only): 2%
- Willow Creek Elementary: 44%
