Mountain Home School District Superintendent Dr. Jake Long is recommending the school use face masks to help limit the spread of COVID-19 when classroom instruction resumes Aug. 18.
In an open letter to the community released Friday, Long said he would “strongly recommend” students and staff use masks when indoors, especially when social distancing is a challenge and space was limited.
On Saturday, Long discussed the district’s back-to-school plans with KTLO’s Heather Loftis on Local Matters. For those interested in hearing the complete interview with Dr. Long, episodes of Local Matters may be found at by clicking here.
The district can encourage people on campus to use masks, but can no longer require it. Act 1002, which was approved by the state’s General Assembly in the spring and took effect on July 1, prohibits schools and local governments from requiring the use of masks.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday that he was calling a special session of the state Legislature to address Act 1002 and possibly amend the law to allow school districts to create their own mask policies.
Long talks about the idea of students and staff wearing masks.
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Long says that the Twin Lakes Area’s spiking COVID-19 numbers have weighed on how the district is planning for the school year.
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Long says many COVID precautions like social distancing, traveling in pods and restricted visitor access will follow students back to school in August. Some of those restrictions may be loosened as the school year progresses, if the area’s number of active COVID cases declines.
Long says the best thing the community can do to help the district start the school year off right is encourage students to wear masks.
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Last year, the Mountain Home School District was one of a handful in the state that was able to host in-person learning all year long and not close its campus because of a widespread COVID outbreak. Long says that accomplishment took parents, students and the whole community working together.
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The Bomber Virtual Academy (BVA) offers online instruction for students K-12 wishing to complete their instruction online and away from the classroom. The BVA enrollment window closed in the spring, but Long says he recognizes that circumstances have changed since then and the district is willing to be flexible with enrollment and handle each request on a case-by-case basis.
A Facebook Live event to answer community questions will be held Thursday night from 6-7 on the district’s Facebook page.
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