New school board members sworn in, mask mandate lifted

Clint Evans, Deb Davis and Derek Tidball were sworn in Nov. 22 as new members of the Johnston Board of Education.

The board then elected Katie Fiala as board president and Alicia Clevenger as vice president.

The district thanked outgoing board members Justin Allen, Steven Hopper and Dr. Jeanie Kerber for their four years of service.

A week later, the Johnston Board of Education met in special session Nov. 29 and voted to immediately lift the district’s mask mandate. The meeting can be viewed on the Johnston Live Stream Network under the “On Demand” tab.

Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 30, masks are no longer required to be worn by preK-12 students, staff and visitors of Johnston schools indoors during instructional hours. The mask mandate had been in place since Sept. 23.

Masks are still required to be worn by students and transportation personnel while on school buses as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unless there is an exemption in place for medical or religious reasons.