Even though Wyoming’s mask mandate has been lifted, it is still in force for public schools.

Superintendent of schools for Park County School District 1, Jay Curtis, explained the changing protocols March 9 to the board of trustees. The mask order for schools will remain in place, Curtis said, until it is no longer in the health orders suggested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, the schools will cease screening at their entrances on Monday, when school resumes following spring break. 

“We are going to ask parents or guardians to continue to screen at home, and not send sick kids to school,” Curtis added.

Also at the March 9 meeting, Ginger Sleep, special services director for the district, asked the board to hire another special education teacher. Curtis cited an influx of special needs students in the last few years.

The district sought to hire an additional special education teacher last year, but was unable to because there were no applicants for the position. The district used paraprofessionals to ease the crunch last year, but this request was for another position above and beyond the unfilled teacher position. The salaries for the additional teachers will be grant funded through the Title VI B program. 

Sleep said there were 40 new special needs students in the last year, with three added in the last two days. Curtis added that some of the “new” students had been in the district for quite some time, but were recently identified as needing intervention or special education.

“We are looking at next year’s numbers, plus these new needs,” she said. “It is imperative we respond appropriately and provide services they need as identified by our team.”

Schools are required to offer services for these students.

“Jobs dealing with high needs students are physically and mentally exhausting and we could lose good people because they need additional help [people],” Curtis said, adding, “We can use the grant funds available to respond to these needs.”

The greatest need is believed to be at the seventh and eighth grade levels as well in the upper elementary years, according to Sleep.

The board agreed the demand for special services was there and passed the motion to hire the additional teacher, with the caveat that grant funds cover the costs.