A new school year is approaching amid the Coronavirus Pandemic. Last year students of a certain age and staff were required to walk through school doors wear masks.

This year with the Coronavirus vaccine available to children as young as ages 12 years old, the question is “Are they required to wear masks this school year?”

Vermilion Parish superintendent Tommy Byler says he’s still deciding.

Over the summer educators and school officials backtracked to the previous school year, comparing the outcome to how they can better prepare and operate moving forward.

“Where is that starting point that we are trying to go? We are not looking at learning lost, and we are not looking at all the things that we missed out on. We are not going to lower our standards because of that but we have to figure out how to get back to where we were and start vermilion moving forward again?”

Byler says following policies put in place by the CDC and the school board will be followed.

State school officials have not enforced a mask mandate inside of school facilities, only on school buses.

Byler explained, “It could be that kids have to wear a mask on the bus and not in the schools. We don’t know yet. We are still looking at the possibilities.”

If positive COVID cases were detected among people who enter the school, Byler says quarantine practices remain the same.

Right now, the focus is on updating educators and parents with what’s definite. All new information will be disclosed as decisions are made.

“We are looking at our data, we are looking at our numbers.

 We are close to making decisions.”