Hoover City Schools - New Face Covering Matrix Procedures

Updated October 25, 2021

Superintendent Dr. Dee O. Fowler recommends that after the existing face covering mandate expires on September 20, future requirements will be determined by a matrix that consists of the following:

• When the district’s seven-day percentage of student positive cases reaches 1.00% or below OR when our overall level of community transmission is Moderate (Yellow) or Low (Blue), as determined by the Alabama Department of Public Health, then face coverings will become optional.

• We will use our weekly district student positive case percentage that is released every Wednesday, and we will need to see a percentage below or above 1.00% for two consecutive weeks before we will change our requirements between face coverings mandated (over 1.00%) or face coverings optional (at or below 1.00%).

• The new policy begins after the current mandate ends on September 20.

• The first data point will be Wednesday, September 29. The second data point will be Wednesday, October 6. If both show student positivity below 1.00%, then HCS will be face covering optional beginning Thursday, October 7. 

• Employees and parents will be notified when the school face covering status changes.

School Buses

Facial coverings will remain mandatory for passengers and drivers on school buses. The Alabama Department of Public Health has interpreted the federal order regarding facial covering requirements on all forms of public transportation to include public school buses. This requirement supersedes the facial covering policy of the schools.

Contact Tracing

When face coverings become optional, our close contact procedures will have to change slightly. Currently, with all students wearing a face covering, we are only required to identify people who are within 3 feet of the positive person for more than 15 minutes. If a person is not wearing a face covering, then will have to expand that circle to 6 feet around the positive person. We will continue to notify parents of close contacts, ask parents to monitor their children for symptoms, and ask them to make their own decision about isolation from school as long as the child is not exhibiting symptoms.