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After a brief stint of being mask free, SLUH returns to Condition III

On Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m., families of St. Louis U. High were once again notified of a change to the school’s Covid response policy. Beginning on Monday, Oct. 25, the school would shift to Condition III, most notably signaling that the school would once again require all students and faculty members to wear masks while indoors.

A week before, the school had announced a momentous change to its Covid protocols, the school would be transitioning from Condition III of its Covid response plan to Condition II. This signified that the school moved from a strict masks mandatory policy to masks recommended. 

“I liked not wearing a mask a lot better than now because it is just great to be able to see everybody's faces and see the smile on their faces,” said sophomore Mathew Peretz. 

The switch was made possible after the school had met certain benchmarks in regards to Covid that had been outlined in the school’s Covid response plan for academic year 2021-22 that was sent out to families at the beginning of August and in every preceding parent connect. With nearly 100 percent of teachers vaccinated, 92 percent of all staff, and over 90 percent of students, SLUH surpassed the vaccination requirements to make the transition. In addition, low positivity and transmission rates within the school and greater St. Louis region also met the necessary requirements to make the transition. 

“We are truly exceptional. Missouri has about 48 percent of people who are vaccinated and we are above 90 percent vaccinated. We have collected great amounts of data and built a thorough process that is honestly next to none,” said President Alan Carruthers. “We have been able to manage this thing in an intelligent process for an issue that can be incredibly divisive.”

This announcement was met with mixed reviews throughout the school. Many applauded SLUH’s tremendous efforts at handling the Covid-19 pandemic and being a leader within the greater St. Louis region. However, a small number of SLUH students responded negatively to the announcement, believing that it was a premature move by SLUH. Outraged students turned to the news channel KMO, which had aired a one-sided story detailing the frustration of outraged students after the first switch. 

Last Wednesday, Principal Ian Gibbons S.J., and Carruthers met via Zoom with city health officials to discuss SLUH’s transition from a mask mandatory policy to a mask recommended. When told that SLUH had reached all of their requirements, the city officials were surprised. 

“The Department of Health was deeply impressed by what we've done here at SLUH in regards to controlling the virus,” said Gibbons. “They asked us to stay the course a little longer, and also to work with them to help, study, and communicate how schools can effectively overcome the pandemic.” 

This meeting was the first of two official meetings held between the city and SLUH administrators. At the conclusion of the second meeting, SLUH and the city agreed to a partnership. This partnership would mean that SLUH would help advise the city on how to best help other schools overcome pandemic hurdles and continue to collect data within SLUH. 

“This is a deeply complex virus that nobody has been able to out-think,” said Gibbons. “The city wants to be a part of our project of looking at what we did, and look toward ways that we can move forward.  They also want to evaluate what we've done and be able to promote that at other schools and other institutions that have not been able to achieve the levels of safety that we have.”

At the request of city health officials, SLUH reinstated its mask policy until the city releases updated Covid safety guidelines. In addition, the school consulted with the archdiocese of St. Louis and talked with Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski on how they should proceed with the school's policy. 

“(The city) had no understanding of the things that we've been doing in this regard to collecting data and the safety measures we have in place,” said Gibbons. “They want us to be able to align with their process for going forward as well.” 

“We said that we'd like to be in that partnership, and that in good faith we will do this,” said Carruthers. “The Archdiocese also encouraged us to engage in and maintain that partnership. So I see this partnership as a very positive thing.”

Upon announcing the shift in policy, students began to hypothesize about why the sudden switch in policy happened. Some believed that it was due to pressure from the recent KMOV story or due to pressure from the city. 

“I think SLUH switched its policy because the (KMOV) article was against people not wearing masks and that reached the city, who began to get on us about our mask policy,” said junior Ben Hopcraft. 

However, the administration is adamant that neither of those things happened, but that the quick shift in policy was due to conversations had with the city and the mutual partnership that has been established between the school and the city. 

“The KMOV story and all the social media pieces that have been swirling had nothing to do with this switch in policy,” said Gibbons. “There have been comments made that SLUH simply listened to a couple of loud voices and just made a decision in that regard, but that is not so either. We are good citizens, we are good partners with the city, with the diocese, and are simply wanting to work with them to help the greater St. Louis community.” 

Similar to last week, students were abuzz at school, sharing their thoughts about the change in policy that some saw as a positive gain, others as a step in the wrong direction. 

“I believe that when you consider the high vaccine rates of the school and you consider how low our case numbers are, you have to ask yourself the question of when will the line be drawn for when we can take off our masks again,” said senior Joey Weinbauer. 

“It is a good thing because Covid is not over yet,” said senior JP Torack. “We need to continue protecting the most vulnerable within our community.”

However, many students understood where the school was coming from, and agree with this switch in policy. 

“I wasn’t surprised about the switch just because of all of the things that happened last week,” said junior Freddy Laux. “I don’t feel too strongly either way, last week it was kind of nice to be without masks but obviously I am so used to wearing a mask by now that it doesn’t even faze me to be wearing one. ” 

“I am a little disappointed that we had to switch back to wearing masks, but I understand that we have to take the safety of others seriously,” said senior Matt Windler. “I get that we have to look to the city and archdiocese for guidance and that we can’t stray off that path.” 

While students may be frustrated, the administration, through constant conversation with the city, is hopeful that in the near future, the school will be able to return to normal. 

“There are no exact dates moving forward for when we will switch back,” said Carruthers. “I think that the Nov. 1 Covid update from the city will be important.  I think we're talking about a matter of weeks here, not months.”

While the administration recognizes the frustration and anger of some students, they want to clarify that the decisions they make are not political. The decisions are made based on how they will best help the formation and learning of students.

“We are trying to be non-political, as a school,” said Carruthers. “We deal with faith, growth, formation and learning. My goal is to make sure you guys have the best possible experience you can have in the context that we live in.” 

 

 


 

 

 

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