Luxemburg-Casco School District will be one of the first school districts in the state to drop its masking requirement and other COVID-19 protocols.

The school board passed a motion 4-3 on Wednesday during a special meeting to have the district operate in a pre-COVID-19 environment effective immediately. The decision will make masking optional, end the current rules regarding quarantine, and remove some of the other mitigation strategies over time.

Superintendent Glenn Schlender says the district’s principals will meet later on Thursday to discuss next steps.

Schlender compared the new rules to what has been in place for students and staff suffering from the flu. Luxemburg-Casco School District currently has 14 active cases and 62 out for being close contacts for COVID-19 among its student population.  Its staff has one active case and one additional member out for being a close contact.

The school board also voted to end the school year early for its students with grades 4K through eighth stopping on May 28th and June 3rd for the high school students.