During the summer, Academy District 20 and Colorado Springs District 11, will not require masks for elementary school students

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Academy District 20 announced in a letter mask expectations for elementary school students and quarantines.

Superintendent Tom Gregory said starting Monday, May 24, elementary students will not be required to wear masks while at school-sponsored activities, such as summer school and summer camps.

"We can keep elementary students in much smaller cohorts over summer," said Allison Cortez, chief communication officer with District 20. "We can also keep them outside much more. The third factor is most teachers will be vaccinated."

This decision was made through discussion with elementary school principals and the impact on quarantine expectations of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Before that date, elementary students will be required to wear masks through Friday, May 21, unless medically exempt.

The letter went on to explain the district examined the quarantine process, but after discussions with El Paso County officials, the D20 learned "quarantine protocols are not optional for schools," meaning there is no ability to "opt-out."

Because of that, quarantines could still potentially happen in D20 for the remaining days of school.

The letter states, "During the final days of school, our goal is to keep as many students in the classroom as possible. We recognize quarantines from COVID-19 jeopardize a student’s ability to finish the year in-person and provide important closure."

Also in the letter, the district reminds parents to keep students home if they are not feeling well and the district will do everything within their power to keep the schools safe and open for in-person learning.

Colorado Springs District 11 also sent a letter to parents last week, announcing masks will be optional starting June 7th for students in kindergarten through 5th grade.

On April 30th, parents in District 11 protested over the district's Covid-19 restrictions.

"This isn’t about masks. This isn’t about taking COVID seriously. This is really just about giving our kids options and not just shutting everything down without considering other alternatives," protest organizer and parent, Shannon Rogers said.

District 11 leaders said they will reevaluate their mask requirements again, after Governor Polis' current statewide mask mandate expires on June 1st.