CHANUTE — After conferring with a committee of local health officials and a drop in attendance due to COVID-19, Chanute’s superintendent of schools Kellen Adams brought back a face mask mandate for District 413 students, teachers and staff, effective Tuesday, Sept. 7.
As of last week, the district had 25 active cases of COVID and 185 students and staff under quarantine, according to the Chanute Tribune.
The elementary school has the highest incidence of cases, with 13 students and five members testing positive for the virus.
Roughly 7% of the district’s student population has the virus.
Adams said the decision came after “extensive discussions” among the school district’s “Gating Committee,” which includes members of the Neosho County Health Department and Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center.
Adams said hospital officials recommended universal masking. The health department was noncommittal.
Neosho County is considered a high risk area for COVID-19, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. It has a vaccination rate of only 24%. Of the state’s 105 counties, Neosho ranks 91st for its low vaccination rate, testing for COVID rates and how many cases it has. Allen County ranks 45th. Its vaccination rate is 42%. The goal is 80% to achieve herd immunity, where those unable to be vaccinated because of medical reasons can feel safe that they will not contract the virus because a high percentage are vaccinated.
Woodson County ranks 101st; Bourbon County 104th, Anderson County, 90th.
BRIAN KEUSER, a physician at Neosho Memorial Regional Hospital, recently stepped down from his post as medical director of the Neosho County Health Department because his medical advice about COVID was being ignored. Keuser said neither he nor the health department’s nurse practitioner, Matt Bogle, were consulted about the current risks of the pandemic to students.
Kellen said that Superintendent Adams made a unilateral decision in August to reverse a district-wide mask mandate that had been set before school began.
He also said health department and county officials ignored his advice on pandemic measures.
Keuser told the Tribune that his decision to leave the health department was because “I didn’t want my name being associated with some of those decisions being made.”
