Seneca Valley School District on Monday became the first public school district in Butler County to require masks in school for the upcoming school year.

JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley School District on Monday became the first public school district in Butler County to require masks in school for the upcoming school year.

In a 7-2 vote following more than an hour and a half of public comment, the district approved an amendment to the health and safety plan that requires students wear masks while Butler County is in the substantial or high category of local transmission of COVID-19 as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Under the amendment, the district will require universal face covering unless and until Butler County's rate of COVID-19 transmission drops below 50 cases per 100,000 residents in a rolling 7-day period and its PCR test positivity rate falls below 8%, the CDC definition of “substantial” COVID transmission.

This is a breaking news report — subscribers can click to read the full article in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.