The Eanes ISD board of trustees is scheduled to vote on the district’s mask policy at a special May 11 meeting, according to an announcement from Superintendent Tom Leonard during an April 27 regular meeting.
Trustees will consider allowing face coverings to be optional both outdoors and inside the classroom as of June 1, according to Leonard.
The action would not impact the current 2020-21 school year but would take effect in EISD’s summer school programs.
Leonard said he has been in contact with Austin Public Health and Dr. Mark Escott, interim health authority for Austin and Travis County, and from those conversations Leonard said the region could soon move into Stage 2 COVID-19 risk status.
Additionally, vaccines have become more readily available and many EISD staff members have already received a vaccine, according to Leonard.
“As far as I know staff who can and want to get vaccinated have had that opportunity, and we believe that’s going to continue to be the case,” Leonard said.
EISD may also allow board of trustees meetings to be mask-optional and in-person, and the district could reinstate in-person meetings with parents, Leonard said.
However, Leonard said there may be exceptions within the district, though he did not specify what those would entail.
“There may be some exceptions,” he said. “There may be a certain situation where we really do need to do something special for a person.”
Verbiage for the action item will be drafted by the district’s general counsel Allyson Collins in accordance with guidelines provided by the Texas Education Agency and will be placed on the agenda for the upcoming board meeting.
