For La Salle students and staff, wearing a mask will become optional starting Monday, March 14, 2022, two years after La Salle initially announced it was closing its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vice Principal Mr. Brian Devine and Principal Ms. Alanna O’Brien announced the new plan Tuesday, March 8, during flex time, through two separate assemblies. 

“Starting on Monday, mask-wearing will be optional, indoors and outdoors on campus during the school day, in all after-school activities, and on school transportation,” Mr. Devine said. “That means it’s your choice.”

Throughout Mr. Devine’s announcement, he urged students to build a culture of respect and support after the changes are implemented. “Regardless of your personal decision and your beliefs about masking, we ask that students respect everyone’s right to make this important decision and to adjust as needed,” the slides at the assembly said.

The announcement came as a response to Governor Kate Brown’s Monday, Feb. 28 news release, where she said that “rules requiring masks in indoor public places and schools will be lifted after 11:59 p.m. on March 11.”

The decision was made after La Salle’s leadership evaluated new guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Additional information was received through parent, staff, and student surveys, which collected feedback directly from those in the community. La Salle also received guidance from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and through consultation with other schools and districts. Mr. Devine also referenced La Salle’s COVID-19 tracker, which has recorded a sharp decrease in cases in the community. 

On Tuesday, March 2, the ODE and OHA made updates to the Resiliency Framework for the 2021-2022 school year in response to new guidance from the CDC. One of the biggest changes that they made was advising schools to place a pause on quarantining. “The decision to pause contact tracing and quarantine is based in science and acknowledges that these practices now have very limited if any impact on the transmission of COVID-19 in our communities,” the framework said. “SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has evolved to become one of the most transmissible viruses known. By the time an exposure is identified and contact tracing is performed, transmission has already occurred.” 

New information that aided the decision was due to Oregon’s high levels of immunity. “Following the Omicron surge, and for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oregon will have very high levels of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity,” the document said.

At La Salle, those who have come into close contact with confirmed cases will be notified, but the school will not be requiring any students to quarantine. 

In addition to high levels of coronavirus immunity, both Multnomah and Clackamas counties are categorized by the CDC as being in the “low community level.” The CDC determines risk levels of individual counties by examining the number of hospital beds used, hospital admissions, and the total number of COVID-19 cases in the area. 

Mr. Devine said during the assembly that La Salle would consider re-implementing a mask mandate if Multnomah and Clackamas counties were to be categorized by the CDC as the highest community level of risk.

In addition to masks becoming optional, the cafeteria capacity for eating lunch has been increased, and lunchtime seating in the gym and Saalfeld center has been removed. As well as this, even though multiple guidelines have been lifted, La Salle will continue to require students to fill out their daily wellness checks before starting the school day, and COVID-19 tests will still be available for students who request them. 

Correction: March 10, 2022

A previous version of this article misstated that La Salle was switching to mask optional on “Monday, March 12.” This is not the case, as March 12 is a Saturday, so the article now states “Monday, March 14.”