The Order applies to all children/students, teachers, staff, and visitors ages two years or older while indoors working, attending, or visiting a school entity, regardless of vaccination status. School entities include public PreK-12 schools, brick and mortar and cyber charter schools, private and parochial schools, career and technical centers (CTCs), intermediate units (IUs), PA Pre-K Counts programs, Head Start Programs, Family Centers, Preschool Early Intervention programs, Private Academic Nursery Schools and locally funded prekindergarten activities, and all child care providers licensed by the Department of Human Services of the Commonwealth.

The Order is effective 12:01 AM on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, and will remain in effect until the Acting Secretary of Health determines the public health risk is sufficiently reduced so that face coverings are no longer necessary as public health tools in school entities. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) will continue to provide updates as they continue to closely monitor the CDC guidance.

Mask Mandate FAQ's

For the 2021-2022 school year, ACSD will continue to monitor the ever-changing and applicable requirements and guidelines from the PA Department of Education (PDE), the PA Department of Health (DOH), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that are effective on or after July 30, 2021. If there are any changes or revisions to mandates, we will follow them, and update the plan accordingly.

As the guidelines and mandates for the COVID-19 are updated on a regular basis, so will be the ACSD Health and Safety Plan. It is our expectation that we will stay current with the mandates from our local and federal agencies (PDE, DOH and CDC) as new information becomes available.

Minimally, PDE requires districts to revisit the Health and Safety Plan every 6 months. ACSD will continue to consult with our District Physicians and District Solicitor throughout this school year.

Mitigation strategies will be communicated with all stakeholders to ensure the health and safety of our community.

Health & Safety FAQ's - 08/09/2021