ELY – A special meeting of the ISD 696 Ely Safe Learning Plan Advisory Council (ELSPAC) will be held on Tuesday Feb. 22, at 3:30 p.m. to consider updates to the school’s COVID-19 public health protocol on the protective face mask mandate.

The meeting could lead to a recommendation by the advisory council to the Ely school board to change the face-mask “required” to a face mask “optional” protocol, according to interim Superintendent John Klarich.

Any changes to the district’s safe learning plan would have to come from a majority vote by school board members. Their next regular meeting is Monday March 14, but the school board could hold a special meeting to vote on any safe learning plan changes prior to their study session on Monday, Feb. 28.

“I want to talk about voluntary masking,” Klarich told the Timberjay on Friday. “When we had our board meeting on Monday (Feb. 14), had I known that Virginia (Rock Ridge school district) and Cloquet schools were going to go to voluntary masking, that would have switched me.”

He said he talked to Hibbing and International Falls school officials on Tuesday and learned those school district leaders were also going to talk about transitioning to voluntary masking.

He noted that masking on school buses would remain a requirement because of the federal mandate that remains in place.

“Depending on what happens Tuesday at the ELSPAC meeting, I could be calling for a special school board meeting before our study session on Feb. 28 to consider a face mask policy change,” he said.

“I think it’s time to move on. I’ve been doing further study and the numbers are dropping,” Klarich said. “I believe the CDC will be making a big announcement next week, although I don’t what that will be. It’s in the air. There is a big movement now.”