St. Thomas School to Require Masks

Last week, the Diocesan Schools Office announced that mask use would be at the discretion of parents throughout the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Springfield. Since then, St. Thomas Principal, Sr. Patty Hottin, and our pastor, Fr. Jack Sheaffer, have been in discussions, as Sr. Patty had already announced that masks would be required, and both have consistently believed that this would be the best policy.

After last week's announcement from the Diocesan Schools Office, St. Thomas School received a number of messages and telephone calls, the majority of which were not in favor of the new diocesan guidelines.

Since St. Thomas School is a parish school rather than a diocesan school, Fr. Jack and Sr. Patty made the decision that all students in preschool through grade eight will  wear masks to begin the school year. Fr. Jack notified the Diocesan Schools Office of this decision on Monday morning.

In addition to the use of masks, St. Thomas School will also continue its protocols from last year regarding the cleaning of surfaces between classes. The School will also work with the Diocesan Schools Office to ensure that there are safe opportunities for students and staff to have "mask breaks."

The protocols implemented by St. Thomas School last academic year ensured that the school stayed open with little disruption for the entire year. We anticipate the same level of diligence this year in keeping our students and staff safe.