Another Valley school district has announced it will be using masks to prevent the spread of the contagious Delta variant of COVID 19.

Parents in the South Range Local School District in Mahoning County on Wednesday received a recorded call from Superintendent Bethany Carlson announcing that students and staff must wear masks when teachers need to gather students into groups that are closer than the recommended three-foot minimum distance.

The superintendent says a staff member and two additional students have tested positive for COVID-19.  Those who have been in close contact with the infected people have been notified, according to Carlson.

Emphasizing that masks are still optional at South Range, Carlson said that masking in group sessions is designed to avoid the necessity of quarantining students and staff.

“If a parent has a medical concern with their child wearing a mask for these short 10–20-minute intervention or collaborative learning times we also have shields available to use,” said Carlson. “We ask that you communicate this with your child's teacher or an administrator.”

The South Range School District covers students from Green and Beaver Townships in south-central Mahoning County.

South Range made its mask announcement on the same day that East Liverpool City Schools announced that as of Thursday, staff and students are required to wear masks in school buildings and during all indoor events during and after school.