By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
The Salina USD 305 Board of Education took a step Tuesday evening toward making the wearing of facemasks optional in district facilities.
After a lengthy discussion, the board voted 7-0 to change the district's policy so that the wearing of masks is optional.
Additionally, the board charged district administration with the task of creating a plan for dealing with situations that might arise in individual buildings that would require masks to be worn once again for a set period of time. District administration was given the discretion to deal with such situations without taking them to the board for approval.
Both the optional masking and the plan are to go into effect three school days after information about both is released in full to district families.
The board also voted 7-0 to remove the contact tracing language from the district's Plan for Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services since the Saline County Health Department is no longer conducting contact tracing.